


The Lives They Lived

by havingabreakdownonthekitchenfloor



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Black Hermione Granger, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, POC Main Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 74,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havingabreakdownonthekitchenfloor/pseuds/havingabreakdownonthekitchenfloor
Summary: A collection of short stories involving the Harry Potter characters and an OC; Star Savannah Black.This story is now on Wattpad, containing pictures of the cast and better-edited versions. The account; @mentalillnessbutsexy
Relationships: Adrian Pucey/Original Female Character(s), Angelina Johnson/Hermione Granger, Angelina Johnson/Padma Patil, Bill Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Cedric Diggory/Alicia Spinnet, Cedric Diggory/Percy Weasley, Dennis Creevey/Zacharias Smith, Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour/Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley/Dean Thomas, Harry Potter/Cho Chang, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott, Katie Bell/Lavender Brown, Lavender Brown/Katie Bell, Lee Jordan/Original Female Character(s), Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter, Marcus Flint/Charlie Weasley, Millicent Bulstrode/George Weasley, Molly Weasley/Arthur Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks/Charlie Weasley, Pansy Parkinson/Ron Weasley, Parvarti Patil/Daphne Greengrass, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Tracy Davis/Original Female Character(s), Viktor Krum/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	1. Bill Weasley x Star Black; "Can't Say It"

**Author's Note:**

> These stories will stray from canon slightly. Unlike the original books, there will be LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC representation. Hermione will be depicted as the daughter of Remus Lupin and will be written as a brown-skinned black girl who's mother originated from the island of Antigua in the Caribbean. Star Evangeline Black is the daughter of Sirius Black and is depicted as either a dark-skinned or light-skinned girl whose mother is Jamaican, Dominican, and Puerto Rican. Pansy Parkinson will be depicted as Greek. Millicent Bulstrode will be depicted as bi-racial being Egyptian and white. Harry Potter is also being depicted as bi-racial, being part Desi and part white.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill is a dumb ass
> 
> This takes place during The Deathly Hallows.

Broken rays of moonlight coming from the small window offered the only illumination to the otherwise dark kitchen. Bill moved about quietly, turning on the stove top and filling the kettle with water. The sound of floorboards creaking filled the air but he paid it no attention, continuing with the mission he’d set for himself. Bill had lived in the old house for enough months to be numb to its random sounds, choosing instead to offer no reaction. 

The thought that it could’ve been Star coming down the stairs fluttered into his mind but he pushed it away just as quickly as it had come. There was no valid reason for him to be having such thoughts in the first place, let alone anymore. Though, as if from it’s own accord, Bill couldn’t help to picture the girl, the woman, he thought correcting himself, that should’ve been nothing more than his brother’s best friend. 

Such a task seemed more difficult now that they were back under the same roof. It’d been easier when she had been gone, on the run with no trace of her whereabouts, and there’d been more pressing matters to worry about but she was the pressing matter now. He couldn’t help but curse the witch under his breath, regardless of the fact that she did nothing but exist and it still managed to cause problems for him. 

She’d arrived at Shell Cottage yesterday with the others who had escaped from Malfoy Manor. 

Her shirt had been torn through completely, more scraps of fabrics than anything else, and revealed long gashes on her back that traveled from right shoulder to her left hip, ripping through the collection of rose tattoos that occupied the skin. Open cuts had littered what had once been a blemish free face and dark bags hung from beneath her silver eyes. Soft lips were now cracked, a head of beautiful obsidian curls resembled more of a rat’s nest than anything else. 

She managed to seem ethereal in all of her pain. Grey eyes filled with anger and brimming with tears, gold in her mouth still glittering like the stars she was named for. 

He hadn’t been able to force himself to touch her, the thought sending a shooting pain through him. Ron and Dean had dragged her inside and up the stairs, followed closely by Harry and Luna who helped in an almost unconscious Hermione. They all looked as though they’d just walked through Hell.

Bill hadn’t seen a glimpse of her since she’d been taken upstairs. Fluer and Luna helped to wash Star and Hermione of the dirt stuck to their skin and heal their wounds. The physical ones anyway. 

Dinner had been made and eaten since then, relatives owled in the most desecrate way possible. Fred and Remus had shown up nearly five minutes after the message had been sent. 

Harry had taken Luna for a walk on the beach, presumably to reunite and speak about the events which went on at the Manor. Since their arrival he hadn’t let the girl more than an arms length away from him and Fred had fallen ensuite with Hermione, who had managed to come downstairs and be greeted by her boyfriend and father. Star hadn’t come down. 

Ron stayed locked up in the room with her, unbudging from her side until she woke up and demanded him to go take a shower and eat. Fluer had been in and out several times, claiming they laid together in silence, resting. Jealously sat like an angry beast in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about it. 

“Theres something going on with them,” It was as though an annoying bug were living in his brain, whispering the words to him over and over again, except that the voice was his own. 

Since the attack from Greyback the year before Bill had been forced to fight back extremely primal urges he had almost never felt before. Other than having a sudden craving for raw meat, possessive feelings had overtaken him in a way they never had before. That would’ve been perfectly fine had the possessive feelings been toward fiancé and not the Black heiress currently laid in bed with his younger brother. He forced back an audible growl of displeasure at the thought.  
“It shouldn’t be so hard,” He’d argued, except that it was that hard. “She’s too young,” Except that she wasn’t that young anymore. “I’m with Fluer,” That didn’t seem to matter very much when Star stood before him. 

Another creak of the floorboards forced Bill’s attention what he only now realized was a whistling tea kettle. It seemed that The Fates were laughing at him when he turned to find the object of his internal conflict standing before him in his kitchen. 

Her hair had been cleaned, no longer knotted and once more fell in large curls. It’d been colored since the last time he had seen her, a dirty blonde rather than its natural obsidian color and cut short, reaching her shoulders rather than her waist. Her lips were soft looking again, not a crack in sight, and her eyes were not as tired. Bill’s eyes had drifted of their own accord. 

His throat turned dry when he saw she wore a pair of over-sized pajama bottoms which belonged to him and a tank top that had to be Fluer’s because it was much too small for her. When his eyes lifted there was a soft smile upon her face but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Your water will be gone,” She finally said and her voice felt like someone had poured cold water over his head. 

“Huh?” Bill asked, almost unaware of how stressed out he sounded. 

“The water,” Star repeated. “For your tea. It’ll be gone."

Tea! It was the only reason he’d come into the bloody kitchen so late at night. He turned quickly, turning the burner off before moving past the stove and towards the cabinets where the bags and mugs were stored. It gave him reason to not have to look her in the eye. 

“Would you like a cup?” He asked, still refusing to turn around. 

Star’s nose scrunched itself at the formality of the sentence but told him yes. Perhaps she should’ve just drank from the faucet in the bathroom. It would’ve been disgusting but it would’ve been loads better than whatever was happening here. 

Hearing something that resembled close enough to a ‘Sure’ Bill grabbed the extra mug and set to work making two cups of tea. Soon enough both were set onto the kitchen island but were left untouched. Still, he refused to look at her and she had long since picked up on the fact. 

It angered her. 

“Bill,” She called but he gave no response, as though he hand’t heard her. 

“Bill,” She repeated, voice harder this time and his eyes finally lifted from the counter. “Look at me.”

“I am looking at you,” He offered and she scoffed. Bill’s eyes fell again. 

He could feel her sizing him up as though he were some sort of stranger. Her eyes held a look he hadn’t recognized and he wondered if the person who’d left him all of those months ago was the same person who stood before him now. He wondered if he actually wanted to know the answer to that. 

“Is this about what happened before I left?” Star asks. It isn’t about that. 

“I shouldn’t have let you leave,” Bill replies, finally looking up to meet her gaze.

“There isn’t anything you would’ve been able to do,” She tells him, face wiped clean of emotion now. 

He hates when she does that. It could’ve been considered a super hero the way she went from emotional to stoic as a wall in a matter of seconds. She did it whenever an argument between them had begun to boil beneath the surface and it threw him off guard no matter how many times she did it. He tended to speak out when he was caught off guard. 

Not with anyone else of course, not that anyone else could catch him off guard. 

“You and Ron seem pretty comfortable,” The words had slipped before he could’ve thought about it. 

Star’s eyes snapped up from the chip in the floorboard she was standing on and confusion settled upon her features. They narrowed quickly and Bill felt the familiar sensation growing in his stomach, admiration, nerve, excitement. Fire crackled from behind the silver curtain and he knew he’d lit the flame, he’d brought the light back. 

“Excuse me?”

It was obvious from her tone of voice that she had heard perfectly well what he’d said. This was her offering, she was giving him a way out and they both knew it. All he had to do was mutter a ‘Nothing’ and they could move on, they could drink their still untouched tea in an awkward silence. There would be a few attempts at conversation that would fail miserably, and they would part ways. 

Star would once again climb the stairs and find her way back into bed with Ron, lulling herself to sleep until the nightmares grabbed ahold of her. Bill would make his way back to his room and climb back into bed, staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep, plagued with thoughts of Star Savannah Black and listening to the breathing of his slumbering fiancé. 

Except that he didn’t want a way out. 

“I’m just saying, you two look pretty close.” There was no going back now. 

Star’s jaw clenched and her hands began to waver, clenching and unclenching themselves into fist. For a brief moment he wondered if she were going to punch him in the face. It wasn’t that she ever had before but she’d always been something of a wild card and according to Ron had gotten into her fair share of fights back at Hogwarts. 

“So what if we are?” She rebounded. Thrill ran through his veins, she was meeting him toe-to-toe on this. 

Anger registered in the back of his brain. The emotion grew slowly and then rushed, becoming an all-consuming fire and he would’ve hated it had he not missed it so much in the months that she’d been gone. The thought of someone else touching her was enough to blind him with fury but the thought of Ron doing it was good enough fuel for him to launch his next attack. 

“You have no right,” He spat back, teeth clenching. 

Her eyes widened at this, disbelief filling them rather quickly. Bill knew better than to think he’d won. If anything the battle was only beginning and until the day Hell froze over, Star Black would not back down without a fight. She’d famously inherited her father’s stubbornness. 

“What don’t I have the right to do William? Is it fuck other men or just your brothers?” 

From a logical standpoint, he really had no right to be angry. He had started the argument and brought the whole thing up. He was in a relationship and she was not and she was free to do what she wished. Unfortunately for both of them, the part of his brain which ran on pure testosterone did not see it that way. 

“You’re fucking him?” Bill growled, yes growled this time, almost unable to recognize his own voice.

Star’s eyes flew wide open at this point. He couldn’t help but think she looked something like an owl. Her eyes were always large, cartoonishly almost, but their almond shape helped to proportion them evenly with the rest of her face. 

Long lashes framed the Grey orbs and only helped to magnify them whenever she cried, which she tended to do when she was angry. Tears began to well and her vision blurred causing Bill’s heart to falter. He hated it when she cried. 

He almost wanted to apologize but then her mouth opened and she spat out her next attack, slinging it at him like a deadly hex. 

“So what if I am,” She cried. Bill was quick to throw up a silencing charm before they woke someone in the house up. “It’s none of your business who I choose to spread my legs for!”

The obscenity of the claim had forced him to stop dead in his tracks. “…who I choose to spread my legs for!” The words began to echo in his mind like a morbid tune he couldn’t forget no matter how hard he tried. It was like an admission of guilt, a stab through the heart. 

They hadn’t fought this way since the night before she left. Standing in front of her now, Bill had almost no recollection of what it had been about except for the fact that nasty words had been thrown and it ended with Star launching one of his mother’s plates at his head before storming from the Burrow’s kitchen. 

They always seemed to fight in kitchens. They always seemed to know exactly what to say to hurt each other. 

“I just didn’t know that you leaving would turn you into such a whore.” The words were gone before he could catch them. 

“A whore?” She called, giving him absolutely no time to turn back. “I’m a whore now?”

“Apparently so,” It was like venom slipping from between his lips. 

“This isn’t my fucking fault Bill,” She was screaming at him now. “You got engaged. You made yourself perfectly clear how you felt before I left. I told you that I loved you and you chose to stay with Fluer.”

Star’s face was wet with tears but he couldn’t tell if it was from the memory of their last fight or from her growing frustration with him. She had cried last time too, begging him to see the reason behind her actions. She’d told him that she loved him and he told her off, said she was too immature, too young, and that he was with Fluer. 

Of course none of those things were exactly true. She’d been legal and was more mature than most people that he knew. He loved Fluer, deeply, but he hadn’t been in love with her for a while and Star knew it. Perhaps that had been the reason why they were arguing. 

“That’s completely beside the point,” Bill claimed though he was really just saying shit at this point. “You left and I didn’t know if you were alive or dead.”

“I’m obviously not fucking dead,” She cried back, throwing her arms into the air. “I think that you do love me but you’re just too much of a coward to admit it so you stay where it’s safe because you know what I make you feel is real! Except the thought of me moving on has you scared so shitless that you need to lash out because you don’t want to admit that you love me back.”

What was she, a fucking mind reader? 

It never failed to shock him just how easily Star managed to read him. Since the moment they’d met she had been able to see right through him and it never failed to shake him to his very core. It made him angrier than, how he fell before her like an open book and she was so impossible to decipher. 

The only real emotion she ever seemed to show him was when they fought. The fire had become intoxicating and he would take to picking fights just to experience the passion she’d gain when she argued back with him. 

Her hair would get bigger, her lips red and wet, cheeks flushed and eyes fierce. A lot of the time they argued she was right but they fought like fire on fire regardless and it never failed to leave him feeling either alive or completely dead inside. 

Neither of them said anything for a while. The kitchen was dead silent once again and the tension in the air could be sliced with a dull butter knife. The tears on her face were dry now and the tip of her nose red. 

Her lips were pressed into a firm line and her arms were crossed in front of her chest as though she were guarding herself from him and the sight nearly tore him in two. 

“Say it,” Star demanded, voice barely above a whisper and eyes flashing gold. 

Fear struck Bill deep in his heart and his throat dried up once again. His lips parted and the words were right on his tongue, he could almost hear himself saying it. But he couldn’t push them past his teeth. 

Star’s eyes flickered back to Grey and a fresh wave of tears blurred her vision. 

Bill watched as she pursed her lips and gave a short nod in his general direction before turning on her heel and making her way out of the kitchen. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she walked back up the stairs. He wanted to follow her, call for her, grab her and kiss her; do anything to stop her from walking away from him again. But it felt like he were being swallowed by quick sand. 

When the final creak off the stairs had silenced and the sound of a door closing from upstairs gave way he knew everything had gotten completely messed up. The house was deadly quiet again, the sliver of moonlight that broke through the window illuminating the kitchen just enough for Bill to see three feet in front of him at the spot where Star had walked away from. Only he filled the small room which seemed so much smaller now and two, ice cold, untouched cups of tea sat still on the fucking island.


	2. Harry Potter x Luna Lovegood; "Most Beautiful"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during The Half-Blood Prince

To get one thing straight: Luna Lovegood had never been ugly. 

There really wasn’t any way she could be honestly. With alabaster skin and large blue eyes, dirty blonde hair that fell to her hips in thick waves. Only for the first time since he’d met her, Harry found himself shocked into silence at the very sight of her. It was like she’d stolen all the light from the room, giving him no choice but to pay attention to her rather than the breakfast Hermione was currently trying to force down his throat. 

It was a game day but she wasn’t wearing her lion hat. Instead, she wore a cream-colored jumper that fell off of, and exposed her shoulders and stopped right below her mid-drift, a light blue skirt that went just above her knee, and her usual lacy white ankle socks. 

Perhaps it was because for the first time her hair was up and away from her face or perhaps it was the light pink color that her lips had been painted but she looked so different and he couldn’t help but stare. 

“Hello Harry!” She greeted, voice as airy as ever. 

He hadn’t been able to give a response, shocked into complete silence and focused sole-y on the pair of pearl earrings which replaced her usual radish ones and a simple silver chain rather than her beer-capped necklace.

Finally forced from his stupor at the feeling of Hermione’s elbow making contact with his ribs, he blinked and managed to open his mouth and stammer out, “H-Hello Luna.”

“You look nice today Luna,” Hermione commented once she realized Harry was unable to say anything further. 

Luna gave a beaming smile in Hermione’s direction as she took her seat at the Gryffindor table beside Star, who had taken her usual place next to Ron. She was currently trying to coax him into eating a piece of toast but it seemed the hangover as a result of the previous night made him unwilling. Harry watched as Luna began to serve her plate, humming to herself as she did so before her gaze lifted and they locked eyes, forcing him to blush in embarrassment despite the kind smile she gave him. 

“Luna has a date in Hogsmeade with Ernie MacMillan today,” Star offered as she served herself a bowl of fruit. 

Harry’s eyes snapped to her with a quickness he’d never known he could possess, “Macmillan?” He questioned, surprising both himself and Hermione with his sudden interest in Luna’s love life. 

“Yes,” Luna replied happily. “Ernie’s invited me to Madam Puttiefoot’s for tea and then a trip around the village.”

“Well here’s to hoping things end with you getting consensually groped back at the Shrieking Shack,” Star cheered, lifting her goblet of cranberry juice in a mock toast.

Ron snickered at that, Hermione letting out an unamused sigh, Luna gave a giggle and Harry relished in the sound. His face twisted into a look of disgust not a moment later, however, not very keen on the idea of Ernie laying hands on her. Especially not in the dark corners of the Shrieking Shack.

“Star you know very well that place is chock full of Nargles,” Luna lectured as though this were something Star should very well know. 

“Of course honey,” Star responded offhandedly as she continued to busy herself with her plate. “My mistake.”  
Unlike most of the school and Hermione, Star had never argued with Luna about the creatures she spoke of. She took every random tidbit or article in stride, allowing the blonde girl to rave for hours about whatever new thing it was that had been discovered in some faraway land. It was all very impressive considering Star wasn’t much known for her patience. 

“Star’s been helping me get ready this morning,” Luna shared with the group, taking a bite of her oatmeal. “She’s very good with hair and such.”

Star gives Luna a smile in response, pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek which earns her a beaming grin. She never really did get much positive attention when she wasn’t with her Gryffindor’s. 

“Well I think it’s great Luna,” Hermione cut in. “You look fantastic and Ernie is a great guy.”

Harry heard Ron mutter something that sounded a whole lot like ‘Boring sod’ into his goblet of pumpkin juice before he was elbowed in the side by Star. He couldn’t help but snicker into his own goblet and narrowly miss a smack on the arm by Hermione. They were both cut off quickly by the girl's glares. 

“It really is great news, Luna.” Ron corrects himself, sending Hermione a glare back. 

Star stares at him expectantly and Harry forces himself to say, “Yeah, Macmillan’s great.”

Truth be told Harry didn’t really know much about Ernie MacMillan. The extent of his knowledge is that Ernie is a Hufflepuff in the same year as him, that he’s pretty good at charms, and that they were in Dumbledore’s Army together last year. They’ve only ever talked a handful of times but overall, he seemed nice enough. 

Harry almost felt back for wanting to curse the poor badger. 

They’d gotten on well enough in the past and yet here he was, daydreaming about hitting the poor sod in the neck and hoping he would choke on his butterbeer. Shame really, perhaps in another life they would’ve been friends. Perhaps in another life, Ernie wouldn’t have asked out Luna. 

Harry allowed himself to revel in his sadistic thoughts until breakfast had almost ended and he watches as Hermione and Star make plans to drop Luna off at the carriages before heading up to the library. He barely comprehends Hermione saying something about Theodore Nott but the comment is lost in translation as he keeps his eyes fixated on the blonde girl who sat across from him and currently owned every ounce of his attention. 

When the girls had gone, Harry’s eyes following the powder blue skirt and cream-colored jumper until it disappears completely from sight, he is forced to sit and think about what he’d just learned. There were two things overall. Luna was going out with Ernie MacMillan was the first and the second being that Harry had, very recently it seemed, come to hate Ernie MacMillan with all of his might. Maybe the two were connected. 

Once Ron had finished his bacon and eggs, his appetite having made a speedy recovery, the pair stood from their benches and made their way back toward the Gryffindor common room. 

The otherwise empty corridor was silent other than the sounds from the ongoing Quidditch game carrying over. Daphne Greengrass’s voice could be heard over the speaker, she’d taken over as announcer for today’s game. 

“I don’t think they’re a good match,” Harry spoke suddenly forcing Ron to stop mid-sentence in his complaining about being paired for Prefect rounds with Pansy Parkinson. 

“I don’t know,” Ron frowned. “Ravenclaw’s got a pretty good team this year and now that Malfoy isn’t-“ 

“What?” Harry cut in, confused. “I’m not talking about Quidditch.”

“Oh,” Ron paused. “Then what are you talking about?”

“Ernie and Luna,” Harry spoke, impatient. 

“First of all,” Ron frowned again. “Don’t say that like it’s something I should’ve already known.’

Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Second,” Ron continued. “I don’t see why not. Luna’s a looker and Ernie seems to like her.” 

“Luna?” Harry questioned, cautiously. 

“Well yeah,” Ron nodded. “She’s all cheery and she’s got great legs.”

Well he wasn’t about to disagree.

“Yeah but she’s more than that,” Harry argued. “Luna’s great and Ernie isn’t going to appreciate her.”

“Well if you’re so concerned about how she’s going to get treated, you date her then.” Ron complied with a roll of his eyes. 

There was a pause.

“Alright,” Harry decided. Ron nearly tripped over his own feet. 

“Alright …. What?” He asked voice measured and staring at his mate as though he’d begun to lose his mind. 

“Alright I’ll date her,” Harry claims. “When she gets back from Hogsmeade I’ll find her and talk to her. Ask her to Slughorn’s party this weekend.”

Ron blinks, “You’ve lost your mind.”

“Suppose that’ll make us a great match then, won’t it?”

The discussion was dropped after that. Ron continued on his rant as to why being forced to do rounds with Parkinson was the worst thing to ever happened while Harry allowed his mind to wander toward the Ravenclaw with the dirty blonde hair. He wondered what she was doing now, if she was at Madam Puttiefoot's yet or if she was locking lips with Ernie Macmillan in a secluded corner somewhere in the village. The thought made him grimace. 

He wouldn't admit it to Ron or Star or Hermione, or himself for that matter, but secretly he really hoped that the date went badly. Hoped that maybe Ernie made a fool of himself or that Luna found him boring and hoped to Merlin he'd be able to find Luna later and ask her all about it and she would tell him that she didn't enjoy herself at all. He hoped she'd tell him she had been bored to tears or that Ernie had spilled Butter Beer all down the front of his jacket. 

That he'd tried to kiss her but it didn't go well.

"She really is very beautiful," the small voice in his head whispered to him. "Even when she isn't all done up. Even when she's walking around the castle barefoot talking about Nargles."

Harry smiled at the thought that Luna really was the most beautiful when she was just Luna. He really hoped she knew that. If she didn’t he would’ve been more than happy to let her know.


	3. Draco Malfoy x Star Black; "Cousin"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during The Half-Blood Prince

The silence was comforting, Star noted. With everyday life so filled with never-ending noise, the sudden absence of it felt something like heroine in terms of instant relief. The only noise truly available at the moment was the sound of her heels hitting the stone floor and it echoed throughout the empty corridor, filling her brain. 

For once, Hogwarts seemed so dark and empty; nothing like the cheerful place she remembered from her childhood. The thought that she was still in her childhood bounced about but she'd never been a child, not really.

Her cousin's body came to view, sat on the cold floor with his arms around his legs, and head down as to hide from the world. Star wished she could hide him too.

"Draco," She called for him but he gave no signal of having heard her.

She walked closer towards where he sat, thankful that the rest of the school were either in their common rooms or at Slughorn's Christmas party. Star herself had been at the latter; having attended with Blaise Zabini. She'd broken off from him to talk to Harry, who'd gone with Luna and had been hiding with Hermione behind a curtain to escape from all the people Slughorn was trying to introduce him to when Filch had busted in with Draco in his grasp.

She had watched as Professor Snape wretched her cousin from the keeper's hands and dragged him out of the party to presumably lecture him. Harry made his intentions to follow the pair known before Luna glided over in that way she did because she never truly walked anywhere and asked him for a dance. His eyes gained a cloudy look and nodded, allowing Luna to lead him to the dance floor.

It was funny to Star just how love-struck her friend was. She hadn't seen him like this about a girl since Cho Chang and even then he wasn't so smitten. It was cute. Star wasn't blind to the subtle wink Luna had thrown in her direction once she'd pulled Harry's attention towards her and Star silently mouthed a 'Thank you' to the blue-eyed girl. Leave it to Luna to know that Star wanted to check on her cousin when even her best friend couldn't.

Hermione was either off hiding from Cormac Maclaggan or flirting drunkenly with Theodore Nott. Star made a mental note to check on her friend; she'd been off recently. Ron was making his Prefect rounds with Pansy Parkinson; a Slytherin girl that she was almost certain he had a crush on, even if he wasn't knowledgable of his own feelings yet. Ginny was in a secluded corner with Dean Thomas, whether they were making out or just talking; she didn't know. Star gave a quick glance towards Blaise who'd locked eyes with her and gave a short nod; he knew what she needed to do, before turning back to the conversation he was having with Astoria Greengrass.

With all of her ducks in a row, Star made a quick get away from the busy party and only barely escaped Professor Slughorn who had tried to introduce her to some vampire fellow. She was a hot commodity at these parties, it seemed. The only heiress of thought to be death eater convicted mass-murder Sirius Black and half Demi-god/ half Veela Savannah Rose seemed to do that to a person. Since the death of her father and cousin's escape from Azkaban, she'd been hounded by media every corner she turned but really it was no different from before when everyone thought her father was actually the dangerous man the Ministry claimed him to be.

Rushing through the corridors as quietly as she could be, Star followed the sound of what she knew to be Professor Snape's and Draco's voices. When Snape had finally left him, Draco had shrunk back and fell to the floor; allowing his robes to get dirty for the first time since Star had known him, and giving her the chance to turn the corner and face her cousin. She made her way to him slowly, approaching him as though he was a wounded animal but it was what he was, honestly. Once reaching him she let her back hit the wall and slid down it so that she could sit next to him. The cold floor hit the back of her bare legs and sent a shiver down her spine.

"It's all gone wrong," She heard her cousin croak and turned to face him.

Draco had lifted his head from between his knees and his eyes were bloodshot. He was skinnier than usual with dark bags hanging underneath his steel Grey eyes that looked so much like her own. He'd always been pale, Snow White skin and pink lips that made him such a sought-after bachelor but recently his skin was sickly; grey almost and his lips looked chapped and tinged blue.

"What has?" Star whispered; scared to speak too loudly and shock him back into silence.

"Everything," Draco sniffed, making her aware that he was very well on the verge of tears. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

"Dray," She was trying to speak softly and hoped her eyes looked kind but Star had never really been known for her patience. "I want to help you."

This had the opposite effect she'd been hoping for. Tears quickly sprung into her cousin's eyes and mingled with his long lashes, making his eyes look larger just like they tended to do for her. Star hated seeing people hurt and yes, her cousin was a massive prick, but he was the only family she had right now. The sight of his tears brought her own on and she had to stop her voice cracking when she asked him;

"What did they do to you?"

Draco's eyes locked onto hers and it was as though her blood had run cold. It seemed so much clearer now, why he had quit Quidditch and made himself scarce when not in classes; barely stopping to talk to her and no longer parading around the school with Crabbe and Goyle like he did when they were younger and things were simpler. They'd taken him. His father had become obsolete and so they had taken him as reparations. Star's heart broke quickly thinking of Draco's mother, her cousin, Narcissa.

They'd never personally met. When Draco and Star had met after arriving at Hogwarts, Draco had quickly informed her that they were cousins and had stuck to her; despite her father being disowned when he was fifteen. It was complicated, especially because he was so horrible to the people she considered friends, but over the years they grew close and Draco would tell her all about his home life and mother. Draco loved his mother and it was clear his mother loved him very much as well. But now Draco was a Death Eater.

"I want to see it," Star whispered.

He said nothing. Only turning to face her, sitting crisscrossed apple sauce and she mirrored his actions; transported back to her second year when they sat out in the grass under a giant shady tree when the weather had finally gotten warm. He'd apologized to her for being so mean to her friends, for what she didn't know seeing as the behavior had never truly stopped until this year.

They weren't twelve anymore. They were sixteen. They weren't out in the grass, under a shady tree to hide from the sun. They were in a dark corridor where no one could see them exchanging dark secrets.

Draco rolled up his right sleeve and to Star's true horror it wasn't blank as she had tried so hard not to hope. He said nothing as she gripped his forearm tightly, examining the ugly brand that would mark him forever. The skin surrounding was swollen and had taken on a nasty red color and the sight was almost sickening. Star found herself fight back vomit and their tears flow freely now, neither of them having the energy to fight them back.

"I'm sorry," She heard him whisper and her focus was torn from the mark to eyes that looked so much like her own.

They'd broken him, she realized. The once cheerful glint in his eyes was gone and it was as though life had finally caught up with him. Star took a deep breath though it did nothing to calm her nerves. Resting her right hand over the mark and holding his arm still with her left she looked him dead in the eye and hoped he understood what she was trying to do.

Star had told Draco of her powers once before, wondering if it had anything to do with her witches' blood that made her able to heal people and control things like water or fire if she concentrated really hard. He had told her that it wasn't and they concluded it must've had to do with her mother's Demi-god blood.

A tingling sensation traveled through her right hand, slowly at first but soon growing so intense it felt as though her hand might buzz off. As the feeling intensified, her vision blurred and blood rushed and the red, irritated skin that surrounded the mark had faded back to the pale shade Draco had carried every other day of his life.

Their hands looked so odd together. His white as snow and hers a dark brown, made darker by the lack of light in the corridor. Her skin held tattoos of gold, ancient marks, and extremely detailed depictions of the stories she'd read out of her mother's tattered old leather-bound spellbook that was passed down from generation to generation. Star wondered if she'd live long enough to pass the book down to her own daughter. His skin blank and perfect save for the dark and ugly mark that seemed to take up too much space.

"It won't hurt you anymore." She heard herself mumble though she never really felt her mouth move.

She hadn't felt quite this disconnected from her body since she'd seen her father die months before at the Battle of The Department Of Mysteries. Draco was looking at her, she knew but she couldn't find it in herself to tear her eyes away from the mark. The sound of footsteps approaching was what finally broke her from her reverie. Calls of her name followed; it was Hermione. Star turned back to her older cousin, he looked so much older now.

"Go," She whispered. "I won't say anything."

A flash of gratitude that Star had never seen him hold before flew through his eyes and they stood quickly. With an embrace that ended much too fast, she watched Draco make his way down the corridor and around the corner, feeling as though a piece of her heart was leaving with him. 

It was official; a war had begun. Nothing would be the same anymore.

Glad that she had forgone make-up earlier in the night, she made quick work of wiping her tears and making sure it wouldn't appear obvious to Hermione that she'd been crying before heading towards where the girl's voice was coming from. The material of her burgundy, silk slip dress brushed against her mid-calves right about where it ended. Her straightened hair brushed against her bare back, half tied up and held fast into a knot by her wand and the other half down and flowing to the small of her back. The only sound in the empty corridor once again became the echo of her black high heels against the stone pavement.


	4. Angelina Johnson; "Missed Chance"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during The Order Of The Phoenix

"Freddie," The sound carried through the corridor and was followed by a flurry of footsteps and a cry of happiness.

Angelina should've known better than to turn her head but curiosity could kill even the strongest cat. It was almost as though she could feel her heart-shattering in her chest at the sight of Hermione scooped up into Fred's arms. They'd shared a sickeningly sweet kiss before pulling apart and giving each other the goofiest smiles that she'd ever seen. The rest of the world seemed to fade out from around her as she watched the couple interact and tried her best not to scream or cry.

Angelina had never been the jealous type. Competitive? Absolutely. Strong-willed? No doubt. But she hadn't realized she could be very jealous until earlier this year when Hermione and Fred had gotten together. She should've been happy for them; she wanted to be happy for them but for as big a person as she was, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Then again, it isn't exactly easy to see your crush and your best friend get together.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that if she'd just told Fred her feelings for Hermione when he first confessed to thinking about asking her out that he would've stepped off and respected her feelings; which made the situation all that much worse. Had she just been able to open her mouth, which had no problem flying open and screaming at the rest of the Quidditch team when they'd messed up during practice, maybe she wouldn't be in constant pain at the sight of her best friend's happiness.

Or maybe if Angelina had admitted her feelings to Hermione last June, she could be the one Hermione had launched herself into while babbling about the O.W.L she'd just taken.

The day before they were due at King's Cross Station last year, Hermione had approached Angelina in an empty corridor. With her face bright red and curls falling into her eyes despite the sloppy ponytail they'd been pulled into, Hermione had admitted her feelings for the older girl and said she'd felt that way for a while now. In a fit of fear, Angelina blurted out that she didn't feel the same way when she did. She'd felt the same way since her fourth year. She was in her seventh year now, a few months from leaving school and heading off into the real world where a war was quietly beginning to brew. The thought was terrifying.

After coming back Hermione had given no sight of discomfort or embarrassment in Angelina's presence. She'd greeted her with a large hug on the first of September like she had every year before and gave no mention to their last conversation. They'd gone on as it had never happened.

Starting to regret walking with the twins back from their potions class, Angeline ground her teeth and elbowed a Ravenclaw from her path, and continued on her way to the Great Hall. With great disdain did she notice Fred and Hermione were also heading in that direction though it shouldn't have surprised her, they'd been inseparable since things were made official.

The pair had begun dating sometime in January after flirting for Merlin knows how long and doing nothing about it. On February 14th he'd asked Hermione to be his girlfriend in front of the entire Gryffindor common room. Deep down Angelina started a chant of; "Say no, say no, say no.", she'd said yes. On the condition that he got off of the table and stopped embarrassing her. The deal was sealed with a kiss that left the entire common room cheering.

Evidently, the news of the new couple was interesting enough that it was all anyone in Hogwarts could talk about for the next 3 weeks. It was dreadful but understandable; they were an odd pairing.

Fred and Hermione were polar opposites. Fred was fireworks and pranks and snogging in broom closets, fire whiskey, and Quidditch. Hermione was books and smoke, not that she'd let anyone but her closest friends know that, and hiding out in the library, Butter Beer and snowball fights. They'd managed to compromise on a few of those things which included snogging in secluded sections of the library and getting drunk on fire whiskey that Fred had snuck in, in his dorm room when Lee was off with Star and George was occupied with whatever.

Somehow they had managed to make it work and much to Angelina's displeasure they went quite well with each other. Fred had seemed to make it his mission to be with his girlfriend whenever possible which included; walking her down to breakfast, eating all his meals with her, walking her to all her classes, and picking her up from them before taking her to lunch or dinner. Afterward, they'd make their way back to the common room together and settle into one of the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace. Hermione would make herself comfortable in his lap and run her hands through his hair while they whispered in each other's ears. They were very cute; it was disgusting.

It wasn't to say that they were perfect, they were far from. It wasn't unusual to find them in a screaming match in the middle of a corridor or across the Gryffindor common room. People had expected them to break up a while ago, Angelina included, yet they never did. They always made up and right after their loud rows could be seen without an inch between them. It seemed that despite many individual's best efforts that there was no breaking them up and that realization always left her with a sinking feeling in her chest that wouldn't move for hours.

She was jolted from her thoughts after running straight into Alicia who gave her an uncertain smile before gesturing to the Gryffindor table where they sat down; Hermione and Fred not too far behind. As if the universe was sending a huge "Fuck you" in her direction, the couple sat down directly across from her. On Hermione's, left sat Star who was who seemed to be in a deep conversation with Lee and on Fred's other side was George who was cracking jokes with Ron and Harry.

There were poor attempts on her end of making conversation with Alicia who seemed to become more and more concerned about her friend. Angelina hadn't told her about her feelings towards the fifth year Gryffindor or the disdain she experienced whenever she saw her best friend plant his lips on said the fifth year. There was no point in it; nothing could be done and the thought broke Angelina's heart all over again.

A month would pass and Angelina would sit and watch as Fred left Hogwarts once and for all with George to start their joke shop. She would watch him pull Hermione into a kiss that seemed like it lasted forever before hopping on his broom and flying away with his twin brother away from the chubby clutches of that awful pink toad.

She'd watch Hermione wander around the castle with tear-soaked eyes for the following week because of just how much she missed Fred. She would watch how her face lit up whenever he came to visit or sent her a letter; she watched it all. She let the sight kill her over and over again because despite her hope; Hermione's feelings for Fred never faded regardless of his absence.

It was then she would realize how much the girl truly loved her friend.

And when the year ended and they walked off the Hogwarts Express together, at King's Cross Station, Angelina watched as Hermione ran into the crowd and heard only her cry of "Freddie!" Solidifying her knowledge that she had missed her chance.


	5. Hermione Lupin x Fred Weasley; "Elsewhere"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of fluffy, I don't hate it but let me know what you guys think!

"If you let me fall I swear to Merlin Fred Weasley that you'll be single by the time we get back home," Hermione warned in her no-nonsense tone that never seemed to phase him.

"I won't let you fall," Fred promised with a roll of his eyes though she couldn't see it. "Just hold onto my arm and follow me."

This was met by displeased grumbles as Hermione clutched tighter to the older boy's arm and let him guide her to wherever he'd planned their date for. It was his turn this week and Fred never failed to impress, always managing to plan things that took her breath away or left her with the largest smile on her face.

Last time he had taken her to The National Gallery in London to look at the paintings and out dancing before returning to the flat above his and George's joke shop with a new bottle of Fire Whiskey to greet them. The time before that he had taken her out to a field where he had set up a projector and screen for the pair to watch Hermione's favorite childhood movie "E.T" and a fireworks show that showed special messages each time one exploded, in the end, he'd charmed some to spell out "I love you".

So yes, Fred never failed to impress. This would be their last date night of the summer before she was due back at Hogwarts for the start of her sixth year and he'd promised to make it special.

Hermione gave a small stumble and shriek in anger at the sound of Fred's laughter when she'd almost fallen.

"Fred!" She cried but it only caused him to laugh louder.

"I'm taking this blindfold off," Hermione's threats were anything but empty as she reached back to undo the knot that kept the bandana from falling off of her eyes.

"I've got it, I've got it," Fred chuckled before reaching to undo the blinder he had forced her to put on before they'd left the Burrow. "We've arrived anyway."

It took a minute but he had managed to get the knot undone. When the blindfold had fallen light shone directly into Hermione's eyes as she blinked to regain her vision. Eventually, when the sun's glare was no longer blinding she was able to focus her sights on what was laid out in front of her and she let out a gasp.

They hadn't strayed far from the Burrow, just a ways away for them to have privacy should any of his family come peaking. There was a large willow tree that she, Star, Ginny, and sometimes Luna would come out to talk under because it provided the perfect shade and had the softest patch of grass not to mention the view of the small brook several feet away. Under the willow was a large, soft-looking blanket that had no doubt been knitted by Molly and a large picnic basket. There was a stack of books placed right next to the basket and a bouquet of Daffodil's which had been her favorite flowers since she was younger.

"What do you think?" Fred asked her whilst leading her by hand to the blanket.

Hermione looked around at what he'd put together. Amongst the books were, "The Winter's Tale", the Shakespearean play she'd been named after, "Pride and Prejudice", which was one of her favorite books, and "Anna Karenina", a book that she hadn't yet read but Star had told Fred she would love. At the top rested a leather-bound notebook. The bouquet wasn't very large but the flowers were gorgeous, especially in the sun and when she raised it to her nose to sniff them a pleasant smell filled her senses. She turned back to her boyfriend with a grin on her face that only he could seem to get there and took in the sight of him.

"I think you're a giant sap," Hermione started, leaning closer to him. "But I'm so glad that you're my giant sap. It's wonderful Freddie, thank you."

With that she pressed her lips to his, allowing her free hand to rest on the side of his neck. Fred grinned into the kiss before returning it, glad he'd thought of such a brilliant idea for their last date.

When they pulled away, Hermione's eyes were bright with excitement. Their whiskey color looked especially beautiful in this lighting and her light brown skin shinned like gold. Her chocolate-colored curls spiraled out, popping free of the loose bun she'd collected them into at the top of her head, a few stray pieces falling into her face. Fred Weasley was certain he had scored the most beautiful girl in the world.

"I'm glad that you like it," He told her, a brilliant smile on his face that made her chest grow warm.

"I love it," She told truthfully, allowing her own smile to grow at the sight of him.

It hadn't taken them long to get through the basket that Fred packed. It contained all of her favorite foods, which of course he knew because he was Fred, and some were things that she hadn't had since she'd left her mother's house. Her face twisted into a look of confusion at the sight of all the dishes she used to help her mother make when she was just a little girl and her heart cracked slightly in her chest at the memory. When she asked him how he was able to get a hold of them, he only grinned;

"Can't tell you all of my secrets, can I?" And she allowed his smile to heal her wounds.

Once desert had been polished off he allowed her to unravel the ribbon that held the stack of books together and watched as she gave a loud, un-Hermione-like squeal, before throwing herself into his arms and peppering his face with kisses.

The leather-bound notebook had been for her writings since she'd filled her last one the week prior and had been all pouty about it. On the inner cover, inscribed in gold, was her favorite quote; "You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you. That's where I'll be waiting." From Peter Pan.

Before Hermione and Fred had started dating, she'd called him Peter Pan, lobbed it at him as an insult in the middle of an argument about why he shouldn't sell his products to unsuspecting first years. She hadn't even noticed it but he did and it stuck with him, probably because he didn't have any bloody clue who Peter Pan was. He'd asked Harry about it later and the boy laughed, told him it was a story about a boy who refused to grow up.

For Christmas that year he had gotten her a copy of the original book and watched as she unwrapped it to meet it with a shocked face. Fred refused to meet her eyes afterward but when she had finally managed to catch him alone she pulled him into a tight hug and mumbled a 'Thank you' into his chest.

Since then, 'Peter Pan' had become a term of endearment. He was her Peter and she was his Wendy. George liked to joke that he was Tinkerbell.

Soon Hermione found herself with her back leaned up against the trunk of the old willow, Fred's head in her lap as she read aloud 'Anna Karenina'. He allowed his eyes to close, soaking in the warmth from the sun and the soothing tone of his girlfriend's voice. Hermione allowed her fingers to dance through his fire-y red hair and for a blissful moment they were allowed to forget about the war that was currently brewing in their world. For a short time, they allowed themselves to just be kids in love.

When the raindrops first started, they weren't fazed. A quick charm from Fred's wand kept them and their belongings dry as the slight drizzle became a heavy pour. They stayed under the tree for hours, lost and protected in their little bubble, unwilling to split apart and face the reality that Hermione wouldn't be there the following week. But soon the sun began to set and they were forced to pack their things and head on their way.

"Wait," Hermione cried with wide eyes as they stood to leave. "We have to do the ritual!"

Fred stared at her in confusion, the outburst coming from nowhere.

"Ritual?" He questioned.

Hermione's face suddenly became a bright red and she looked down at her feet, bare from when she'd taken her sandals off to eat. When she raised her eyes again they met Fred's ocean blue ones, filled with curiosity.

"Ron, Harry, Star, and I made up a ritual in our first year," She explained. "We have to do it whenever we get caught in the rain or else will be cursed for 100 years."

Fred's look of befuddlement only grew and Hermione could feel her face grow warmer, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"So how do we do it?" Fred asked, setting the picnic basket back down and watching as Hermione's face once again broke out in a wide smile.

She scuffled towards him and grabbed his hands, pulling him from under the willow tree and outside where the charm protected them from the rain. With the heavy poor it didn't take long for them to get drenched.

"First you have to swear to forever," She shouted so that her voice could be heard over the rain.

"Swear to forever what?" He shouted back, wondering if he should've allowed himself to be dragged into this or if she was just getting back at him for pranking her last week.

"Doesn't matter," She responded with a smile. "You just have to swear to do it forever. To like chocolate forever, to be a redhead forever, to be friends with someone forever. The only rule is that you can't tell anyone what you swear until the next time you guys get caught in the rain or else the promise will be broken."

Fred frowned at that but gave a nod to show he understood.

"Swear to forever Freddie," She responded and closed her eyes.

It took Fred a second to decide what he wanted to swear to. He could've sworn to be funny forever, could've sworn to be good-looking forever, could've sworn to keep the joke shop open forever.

He opened his eyes and they zeroed in on the short girl before him. Her bun was long since let down and the rain made it so that her hair was plastered to her face. Her nose was red from the cold and she was soaked to the bone but her smile was beaming and lit up his heart inside so that despite how freezing it was, he felt warm inside.

"I promise to love you forever," he vowed inside his head.

"Now what?" He shouted over the rain, Hermione's eyes popped open as though she forgot he'd been there.

"Now tell the rain you're sorry!" She answered.

Fred gave her a disbelieving look.

"You've gone this far," She teased. "Say you're sorry to someone and the rain will carry the message so that the next time it comes back, it'll give you acceptance."

"You lot came up with this when you were 11?" Fred questioned and Hermione laughed.

"We had a lot of time on our hands once we'd foiled Voldemort's plans," She shrugged.

Fred rolled his eyes but shut them regardless and thought about what he wanted to apologize for.

He could've apologized for turning Ron's teddy bear into a spider all those years ago. He could've apologized to Viktor Krum for slipping him that Canary Cream in his sixth year after he'd shown up to the Yule Ball with Hermione. He could've apologized to his mother for quitting school even though he wasn't really sorry about any of those things.

He thought about Hermione and how long it had taken him to get to a place where he realized just how much he liked her. He thought about how much more time they could've had together had he just realized his feelings earlier rather than being a giant git.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to find my way to you."

"Okay, so now what?" He questioned, eyes opened.

"Now you have to dance with me." She smiled, sliding closer to him and grabbing his hands which seemed so large compared to hers.

"That's apart of the ritual?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really," Hermione shrugged. "But I want you to."

They danced in the rain. There was no music playing and they were soaked through, freezing and tired. But they danced and they laughed and Hermione felt happy for the first time in so long, for the last time she would for a while. She felt happy in the way that only Fred could make her and she knew this next year at Hogwarts was going to be the hardest of her life.

She'd always loved the castle and craved to escape to it, counting down the days in the summer until she was due back. It was the first place where she'd made any friends and was allowed to be who she actually was. It was perhaps the first place in her life where she was surrounded by people other than her mother that didn't see her as a freak. It was safe and it was comfortable and familiar and for so long it had been where her heart resided.

Except that as she waltzed terribly with none other than Fred Weasley in the pouring rain, she knew that her heart now resided elsewhere.


	6. Millicent Bulstrode; "Different"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set 2 years post- finale battle
> 
> Also disclaimer: I meant no offense to people with accents when I wrote the dialogue for Fluer. I wanted to communicate her accent the best I could but it was slightly hard so please keep that in mind.

Diagon Alley at Christmas time was enchanting. Lights hung from every possible surface, carols played from record players or radios inside of each store and the streets and roofs were covered in thick layers of snow.

Stores tended to be busier around this time of year regardless but the busiest store by far was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Young kids and their parents packed the store wall to wall, buying up any and every product they could get their hands on. A young witch named Verity managed one register, whilst Hermione managed the one next to her; greeting each customer with a bright, albeit slightly tired, smile.

"Georgie," Millicent called from across the store, loud enough for her boyfriend to hear over the loud crowd of frenzied shoppers. "Where are the rest of the Puking Pasties?"

"In the back love!" George answered without turning to look.

Millicent groaned in discontent. There weren't any in the back, she had just come from there looking for some to restock the now empty shelf. Pushing through the crowd as forcefully as she could, she made her way to the tall ginger and did her best to ignore the protest of her leg and back muscles.

Since she and George had gotten together, Millicent had taken to helping him around the store whenever it got busy, and now about a year-and-a-half later; she was practically an employee.

It had been hard at first. She'd grown up just as the rest of her Slytherin counter-parts, pampered and spoiled. She had never done real work a day in her life and was set to never have to for the rest of her life. But when she had begun to date George Weasley she saw how important his work was to him and just how much energy he and his brother put into it. It had taken her a while to convince him to let her help but Slytherin's were nothing if not ambitious. In the end, he'd relented and now everyday Millicent woke up alongside him and got ready before going down to open up the shop together.

Fred and Hermione had moved into their own flat just down the block once the war had ended. They'd gotten engaged mid-battle, which wasn't very out of character for either of them but had decided to hold off on the actual getting married part until they'd adapted to normal life again. With them stayed Hermione's younger brother, Teddy Lupin, who she had become the guardian of after the death of her father and his wife.

Teddy was currently at the Burrow, under the watchful eye of Molly Weasley along with Star's goddaughter; Asani, Pansy's younger sister; Petra, and Harry and Luna's son; James.

After Fred had moved out of the flat, George had asked Millicent to move in with him and she accepted. There had been discussions of moving out of the flat when they started having children but they both agreed that that was a long way away. At this point, a lot of their friends were already raising children and they agreed that they didn't mind playing auntie and uncle for the time being.

Plus since Percy and Oliver had gotten married, Molly was on their backs for when they were going to have children which gave her and George a pass from that discussion. It had also amplified the pressure from her end on when the pair were planning to tie the knot but hey, you win some you lose some.

By the time Millicent had reached her boyfriend, the Santa hat she'd put on this morning sat lopsided on her head. All the employees were meant to wear them along with WWW robes but she'd forgone those for a red long-sleeved v-neck and ripped blue Muggle jeans that Star had gifted her for her birthday that year. George had his back turned to her and was talking to a girl. She was easily recognizable by her long, blondish-white hair and a pretty face; it was Fleur. Though they weren't exceptionally close the way Fluer and Star were or Millicent and Hermione or even Ginny and Pansy, they got along quite well.

"Mille!" Fleur squealed out when she realized the younger girl had joined them.

She had practically shoved George out of the way and thrown herself into the light-skinned girl's arms which made Millicent laugh but she'd hugged her back, mindful of Fluer's baby bump.

The quarter Veela had learned she was pregnant about 4 months ago and had been surprisingly cheery ever since, her usual attitude fading away and replaced with a smile at the prospect of being a mother. The announcement was made at Sunday brunch at the Burrow around 3 months ago and everyone around her had burst into cheers and congratulations, little James contributing his own happy shrieks even though he had no idea what was going on.

"Hello Fluer," Millicent giggled, hugging the girl tightly before they pulled away. "You look amazing."

It was true. Fleur had always been exceptionally gorgeous because of her Veela blood but since the pregnancy, she had become especially brilliant lately. Molly had pointed it out, saying it was the pregnancy glow and Fluer had responded that, that was just dried sweat from the morning sickness. Regardless, her hair had become healthier, her face a little fatter and her eyes brighter.

"As do you," Fleur cooed, her French accent shining through. "Gorgeous as always."

"Fleur and I were just talking about the dinner Friday night." George cut in.

Friday night, Christmas Eve night. The annual dinner at the Burrow would be in full swing as always. Millicent had attended last year, around 5 or 6 months after she and George had begun their relationship, and this year Molly had invited her to help cook the meal.

According to the rest of the Weasley girlfriend's, it was a sort of right-of-passage. It meant that you had been fully invited into the family.

Ginny had been helping her whole life, being a Weasley by blood. Hermione and Star had been helping since the summer before their fourth year. Fleur had been helping since after Bill's werewolf attack and Luna had joined the team the first Thanksgiving after the war had ended. Pansy joined shortly after, the following Christmas.

This time it was Millicent's turn. She was nervous, obviously, but the nerves were soothed by her friends who'd assured her they'd be by her side the entire side.

Percy would be there too, in place of Ginny, choosing to help in the kitchen rather than play Quidditch with the rest of the boys. Ginny had opted out early, choosing to play on the field with the guys that year. It couldn't be too bad, she supposed, she was quite close with the girls not to mention that she and Percy got along smashingly.

Millicent tended to be nervous around Molly despite the matriarch's kind nature towards her, it had worried her at first when didn't know how George's family would react to him dating a former Slytherin but it turned out he wasn't even the first Weasley to do so.

"You'll be attending, right?" Millicent asked, heart, plummeting at the prospect of a familiar face disappearing from her side.

"Oui," Fleur nodded, cradling her bump now. "Neville and I vill just be passing by to 'is grandmother on our vay."

"Is old lady Longbottom attending?" Fred asked, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere on Millicent's side.

George snickered at the joke but quickly stopped at Millicent's glare. She quite liked Neville's grandmother though the woman was very loose with her tongue. Perhaps that's why she liked her.

"Fred you leave that poor woman alone." Hermione chastised her fiancé, appearing on his side after greeting Fluer.

"Poor," George cried incredulously. "The woman's a bloody nightmare."

"George," Millicent warned and he once again shut up quickly.

This time Fred snickered.

"Whipped, aren't you mate?" He asked teasingly.

"Oh like you're one to talk," Hermione responded, jumping to George's defense with a roll of her eyes.

"No," Fluer cut in quickly. "She vill be spending her Christmas vith a special lady friend."

The twins laughed at this but silenced after they'd both been smacked on the arm by Millicent. It was one of the few reasons that she was grateful to be heavy-handed.

Eventually, the boys left them to get back to work; George taking over the till where Hermione had previously been and Fred manning the floor and leaving the girls to talk.

"So Millie," Fluer started, they both turned to her. "You look vell."

Millicent blushed at the compliment, still not quite used to getting them. Throughout her entire Hogwarts career she'd been viewed as quite monstrous, the female Goyle they'd used to call her. 

It had changed in her seventh year, however. She had cut off all of her hair, resorting to wearing it in finger waves or short curls and never letting it grow out too long. Geroge's hair was long enough for the both of them now that he'd grown it out to his shoulders to hide where his ear had been hexed off and Fred followed out of support for his twin brother.

After the war, she'd let Star drag her and Pansy to a muggle piercing shop and get something called a nose ring. She was still heavy but she wore it well, curves accentuated and evening out as she grew taller. She took to wearing fake eyelashes sometimes because they made her eyes look bigger and she liked the effect it took on her face.

Hermione had compared her to a Muggle cartoon named "Betty Boop" and eventually it had adapted into a nickname she and Star referred to her by.

When Millicent first became friends with the girls it shocked her just how nice they were. There was constant reassurance and support coming from all sides and it had been a bit overwhelming but she'd come to absolutely adore it.

"She does, doesn't she," Hermione smiled. "Something seems different."

Millicent frowned at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ju seems glow-eyy," Fleur teased with a raise of her perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Millicent's eyes widened at the insinuation. Her face grew warm and her heart dropped into her stomach where it began to beat a million miles per hour. She'd have been stupid to not notice the changes in her body. Her muscles were more ache-y than usual, she got tired easier and had started to have weird cravings. There was also the case of her missing period but she hadn't allowed herself to get too worried at first, her cycle tended to become irregular whenever she was stressed which she usually was around the holidays.

"There's been no morning sickness," She cut to the chase quickly.

"Vell ze sickness," Fluer smirked, eyes glinting mischievously. "It does not affect everyone ze same way."

"She's right boop," Hermione smiled slightly. "When Luna was pregnant with James she had terrible morning sickness."

"Oui," Fleur agreed. "Ze pour girl, she vas throwing up everyvhere."

Millicent's nose crinkled up at the prospect.

"Oh," She let out in a whisper, looking down at her shoes, a sinking feeling filling her chest.

"Let's say you were," Hermione murmured. "Would you keep it?"

Millicent lifted her eyes, filled with fear and she looked between her friends, afraid they would judge her. There was nothing but kindness in their faces as they waited for her answer.

"Do you think George would be mad at me if I didn't?" She whispered, afraid to speak too loudly.

Fleur and Hermione shared a look as a silent conversation going on between them. She knew they were afraid of upsetting her but she needed to hear the truth right now.

"Ve think," Fluer started, looking back to Millicent.   
"Zat you should talk weet George. I zink he vould support you in vatever ju choose."

"Yeah," Hermione took over, looking at the girl reassuringly. "He loves you, a lot. Just make sure that you really are before you bring the discussion to him."

Millicent gave the pair an unsure smile that didn't quite reach their eyes but nodded slowly. She knew that they were right, they usually were. Fleur and Hermione made a surprisingly good pair.

The topic was quickly changed when the girls recognized Millicent's discomfort. Gossip ensued and again Millicent found herself grateful for the friends she'd made since graduating Hogwarts and since getting together with George. She hadn't had girlfriends to talk with during her school days, not really. Sure she had Pansy and occasionally Daphne or Tracy but those friendships felt more coincidental, convenient.

This felt more like having sisters and Millicent had never had sisters.

The conversation touched on whether things would be awkward at Friday's dinner given Bill and Star's recent split and if either of them planned to bring other people.

"Ju know how Beel iz vit Star," Fluer responded with a roll of her eyes as she waved her hand in the air. "He vill find es way back to her because 'ee knows he cannot live vitout her."

"Or because he knows that she won't hesitate to move on." Hermione snorted.

"They'll be back together by the time the night is over if they aren't already by the time the dinner rolls around." Millicent prophesized.

"They never could stay mad at each other long could they?" Hermione laughed.

Soon Fluer had to leave. She gave each girl a hug and kiss, whispering in Millicent's ear that if she needed someone to talk to about everything that she was only an owl away. They waved her goodbye as she walked out of the store before Hermione turned to face her.

"If you want me to go with you to get the test later just let me know." She said quietly, giving Millicent's bicep an affectionate squeeze before walking away, towards Fred who was now leaning against the counter in boredom since the lines had died down a bit.

Millicent turned around, eyes scanning over the store to find her own half of the infamous Weasley's twins. She found him by the trick wands, entertaining a young boy who'd wandered over. George had waved it around dramatically triggering the plastic flowers to escape out from the top and letting out a floral scent before it disappeared from his hand with a 'pop!'.

The young boy screeched in excitement and clapped his hands together, giving chants of "Again, again, again". Millicent smiled softly at the sight, some weight lifted from her chest.

She'd fallen in love with a good man this time, he wasn't like her past boyfriends. He wouldn't have done what Michael had done to her. She didn't have to be scared of him. This time it could be different.

George turned his head slightly, his deep blue eyes scanning the floor before they landed on her and his face broke out into a grin, not unlike the younger boy when the fake wand had disappeared. Millicent couldn't stop herself from smiling back towards him.

When he'd looked away again she took a deep breath to steady herself. Eventually, she turned on her heel and made her way back to the storeroom. Perhaps she had missed the Puking Pasties.


	7. Ginny Weasley x Draco Malfoy; "Love&War"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set during The Half-Blood Prince.

There was a comfort in the burn of the fire that ran through her veins whenever they locked eyes or the feeling that bloomed in her chest whenever he held her close, there was comfort in the fireworks that burst behind her eyes whenever he pressed his lips to hers.

It was unhealthy and destructive and so completely intoxicating and despite her best efforts, Ginny found herself wondering if this is how Luna felt when she was with Harry or how Hermione felt with Fred or Lavender with Katie. Despite her best efforts, Ginny would find herself wondering if this was love.

Her parents would be disappointed if they could see her now, saddened by what their little girl had grown into. Ron would be sickened by the sight of her and the rest of her brothers unable to look her in the eye but she found that she didn't care.

She couldn't care when this wretched new part of her was the only thing left on Earth that could bring her comfort. The fact rang true that he was the only thing left that could make her feel human and not like a pawn in a war that she'd never signed up for.

It wasn't healthy and it was hardly a relationship, more so two broken people pouring their sorrows into one another if only to relieve the weight on their own shoulders for even a second.

But that was okay because it sent fire through her veins and feelings bursting through her chest and fireworks behind her eyes and made her feel things other than just anger and worry. It was okay because when she was with him she didn't find herself worrying about her missing brother or friends, she didn't wonder if her parents were still alive beyond the walls of this wretched castle and she didn't wonder if this bloody war would ever end.

All she wondered is if it would've been possible for them to stay that way forever, wrapped into each other and in a universe where only the two of them existed.

Draco Malfoy had become her remedy.

They didn't have much time to spend together. Once a week the both of them would sneak off from wherever they were actually supposed to be and meet in an empty room and there they would pour their sorrows into one another if only to alleviate the weight from their own shoulder even if it was only for a second.

There was never much talking but there never really needed to be, they both already knew everything that was left unsaid. When words did pour from between their lips they flowed like uncorked bottles of liquor, understanding and intoxicating one another and perhaps that's why it was so hard to walk away from a situation that was so toxic.

Together they had become the only place where either of them felt okay.

Draco wasn't good enough for her and he knew it but selfishness was so powerful. His urge to protect her, to send her as far away from him as possible was overpowered every time she mumbled her love for him against his lips, every time she poured herself into him and offered him redemption for his sins of the past with a simple whisper of;

"For love, I will handle your sins, for justice, I will show you mine."

Together they survived.

Locked away in an untouched room, they danced together. Dancing didn't really change anything but it helped, even if it was just a little bit. Neither of them recognized the song that came from the old radio but it didn't matter, they would've danced to the sound of a lawnmower if it meant a few more moments with one another. A few more moments of ecstasy.

It wasn't even really dancing, they only swayed back in forth, one of his hands on her hip and the other clutching hers tightly but it was enough. It was enough to offer salvation from the world burning to ashes around them.

Ginny was transported to a memory of her parents dancing similarly at Lupin and Tonk's wedding that summer. At the time she'd been so utterly confused, wondering how it was so easy for them to become so lost in each other that they paid no attention to the war raging on in the background. But now, now she knew. Once again she was forced to wonder if this was what love was.

Was it love that brought them back to one another after every screaming match that left them both in tears? Was it love that made her heartbeat quickly at the sight of him? Was it love that made her feel that every time she poured him, she was being saved even if it was only for a moment? Was it love or desperation?

But she'd felt desperation. It had never filled her chest the way he did. It had never made her knees weak the same way or forced her to feel so much. Desperation had never healed her from the numbness she had grown so accustomed to. So what did that mean for her?

He hadn't meant to fall in love with her. It was never in the plans to become addicted to the taste of her lips or the sound of her voice or movement of her hips. To her, he was fire but to him; she was water and he allowed himself to drown in her time and time again because it was the only thing left that made him feel okay.

It was the only thing left that made him feel human. Did that make him a monster? Was he a monster that only she could love?

Persephone fell in love with Hades. Belle fell in love with the Beast. Ginny fell in love with Draco.

There was evidence that could support the statement of his insanity and she never cared to dismiss it. She knew exactly how batshit crazy he was whenever she looked into his eyes and saw every broken fragment of his soul that floated around whenever he got too drunk on her, she could never bring herself to care.

Could it be the insanity that drew her in so tightly and folded around her in a way that made her never want to leave his arms? Possibly but it didn't bother her. She loved his insanity as much as she did him or maybe she loved it more, maybe it's was the insanity that made him. Maybe she just as crazy as he was.

He drowned himself in her often. Whenever the world got too harsh and life too hard he found her and allowed himself to be enveloped and swallowed by the waters that were she. It brought an odd comfort to know that she could've absolutely destroyed him at any moment she chose and decided against it as if he was too precious for her to expel the fire that burnt inside him but just enough of a mess for her to ruin and he didn't mind it much when she ruined him.

He knew that at the end of the day, no matter how many times she pulled him in and let him struggle just enough that fear of finally drowning and his flame being extinguished once and for all banged in his chest rapidly like a hummingbird going away at a tree before pushing him towards the surface at the last split second just so he would have enough time to gulp in every bit of oxygen he could before she pulled him back in again. Draco would always run back into the water even when he knew he would die just a little bit again.

Together they survived. So how it broke her heart when he left her.

There was glass on the floor. She had summoned it only so that she would have things to throw at him in her fit of anger. By the end, the room was in ruins. The desk had been blown up and one of the windows had busted so moonlight poured right in, the only light offered since they'd destroyed all the lanterns. There were pieces of paper of fire, floating down around them. They sat side-by-side, backs against the stone wall, staring into a void and letting the silence speak for them.

Ginny's skin had paled dramatically, cheeks stained with dried tear tracks and her hair a mess. Draco just looked tired, deep bags underneath his eyes and a heaviness in his chest he hadn't felt since the first night he'd kissed Ginerva Weasley.

"It's going to happen soon isn't it," She asked, throat raw from the screaming and voice coming out strained. "The end?"

Draco only nodded. She turned her head towards him and him towards her. Stormy Grey eyes locked with light brown ones.

She'd always loved his eyes. They reminded her of the shade the sky took whenever it was foreshadowing what would come next. They reminded her of the silence right before a boom of thunder and stillness in the air right before Mother Nature let out an all mighty cry, drenching the Earth in her agony. He reminded her of the calm before the storm. He was calm before her storm.

"Will you regret me?" She asked.

The corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly.

"I could never," He spoke truthfully. "You saved me."

"I destroyed you," Ginny corrected.

"Isn't it the same thing?" And to that, she could not answer.

"Will you wait for me?" He whispered.

It was Ginny's turn to give a small smile.

"If you aren't too long," She began, tears clouding her vision once again. "I will wait here for you all my life."

No matter how short it may be, she finished in her head.

He'd heard it though. Through the silence. Draco always heard her through the silence.

They spent their last night together dancing along to a song that didn't exist and that neither of them recognized. They danced amongst the wreckage of their last argument and wondered if it would be their last argument.

For one more night, Draco allowed himself to get drunk on the feeling of her and Ginny allowed herself to feel things besides worry and pain. It was goodbye for the history books and deep down they both hoped that it wasn't actually goodbye but one can never be too careful.

She knew she betrayed her family and her side, her beliefs, as she laid wrapped in his arms that night. She hoped that they could understand and if they couldn't, oh well. All's fair in love and war.

When he left a part of her heart went with him. She wondered if that was how it would be for the rest of her life and if Draco Malfoy now owned a part of her soul that she had never exposed to anyone before.

She wondered if she would live long enough to experience something similar or even close to what she had with him. Deep down she knew that it would be impossible, there wasn't anything that could've replicated what he was for her.

He'd been her awakening and her demise, her sin and salvation all in once and perhaps that was what love was.

There was a comfort in the burn of the fire that ran through her veins whenever they locked eyes or the feeling that bloomed in her chest whenever he held her close, there was comfort in the fireworks that burst behind her eyes whenever he pressed his lips to hers.

It was unhealthy and destructive and so completely intoxicating and despite her best efforts, Ginny found herself wondering if this is how Luna felt when she was with Harry or how Hermione felt with Fred or Lavender with Katie. Despite her best efforts, Ginny would find herself wondering if this was love.

Her parents would be disappointed if they could see her now, saddened by what their little girl had grown into. Ron would be sickened by the sight of her and the rest of her brothers unable to look her in the eye but she found that she didn't care.

She couldn't care when this wretched new part of her was the only thing left on Earth that could bring her comfort. The fact rang true that he was the only thing left that could make her feel human and not like a pawn in a war that she'd never signed up for.

Draco Malfoy had become her remedy. Together they survived.


	8. Chapter 8

Another author's note so don't hate me. 

1: There's a bunch of new chapters coming soon because I'm going to merge my two stories into one. I'll be copying chapters from the other one and posting them here. 

Disclaimer: If you've already read those, there will be another ORIGINAL chapter coming out tonight. Any stories that are copied from my other story will have stars in the chapter summary to show that they're from the other book and once all the chapters have been copied I will continue to use stars to make people aware of the change in format.


	9. Percy Weasley x Oliver Wood; "The Days"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** A copied chapter from the "They'll Tell Our Stories" **

Percy Weasley was the black sheep of his family. He knew that, everyone did and it wasn't exactly a secret how much different he was from the rest of them.

He had the tell-tale Weasley red hair, of course, he wore glasses just like his father did and had a million freckles. He was just as tall as Bill and Charlie, was a Prefect just like them, and had been head boy just as Bill had.

But he wasn't funny like the twins, wasn't brave like Ron, wasn't bold like Ginny, wasn't good at Quidditch like they all were, and wasn't popular like Bill.

He would've assumed that there'd been a mix-up at St. Mungo's when it was finally time for his parents to bring him home if he hadn't been born at the Burrow.

"Maybe they just found you in the trash out back and told you that you were born here," George and Fred liked to joke.

Percy was the odd one out, the black sheep, but that was okay because he knew who he was. He knew what he wanted to be.

When Percy had finally arrived at Hogwarts he was quickly sorted into Gryffindor. It was there he met a rather strange boy named Oliver Wood. They'd been assigned dorm mates along with three other boys but Percy hadn't really noticed them.

Oliver was nice enough, he'd greeted Percy with a large smile when he first sat down next to him at the Welcoming Feast. A little, a lot, Quidditch obsessed but Percy found that he didn't hate hearing about the sport if Oliver was the one talking about it.

They'd become good friends pretty fast, walking to classes together and sitting for meals with one another. It wasn't long before he was writing home about Oliver and that year Molly Weasley had sent one extra sweater to Hogwarts; purple with a big yellow O on the front.

What Percy loved about Oliver the most was that he had met his brothers, had seen how different they were from one another, and still, Oliver hadn't made him feel like the odd one out. When Percy was with Oliver he was just; Percy. He wasn't Bill and Charlie's little brother.

Time past and despite the pain it caused him, Percy found him and Oliver growing apart. They were still dorm mates and still talked but it wasn't like how it had been when they were younger. He thought he'd get over it after a while but as much time had passed, Percy continued to find himself missing his friend.

By their second year, Oliver had joined the Quidditch team and grown closer to Charlie. He'd made friends with the entire team and was popular for a second year. Percy stayed on the sidelines, cheering his brother on at every game and secretly cheering Oliver on as well whenever Bill dragged him to a match. Percy had quickly risen to the top of his classes, acing every one of them and starting to make a name for himself.

Third-year the twins arrived. They quickly made a name for themselves and were well like amongst the students, not so much the staff. They'd made friends with a boy in their year named Lee Jordan. Bill had left that year and Charlie was promoted to the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Oliver had thrown himself farther into the game and found himself a rival, a boy on the Slytherin Quidditch team by the name of Marcus Flint. Percy had since made a name for himself and no longer was he just the younger brother of Bill or Charlie Weasley. Still, the twins seemed to outshine him, even as first years.

Still, Percy longed for the days when Oliver Wood had been the first to notice him.

Fourth-year Charlie had gone. The twins had joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as beaters and they themselves became good friends with Wood, he went by Wood now. Percy still was at the top of his classes and had made it a personal goal to become a Prefect next year. He had made nice with a muggle-born Ravenclaw by the name of Penelope Clearwater.

He found that he liked her quite a lot. She was pretty with straight blonde hair and large blue eyes, pale skin with freckles along the bridge of her nose. She was smart and soft-spoken and paid him attention no one ever had. At the end of the year, he had asked her to become his girlfriend and she'd accepted.

Percy was beginning to forget the days when Oliver Wood had been the first to notice him.

Fifth-year Ron arrived. He had made friends with a group of kids; Harry Potter, Star Black, and Hermione Lupin. On Halloween, they'd fought a mountain troll in the girl's second-floor toilets and by the end of the year, there were rumors running ramped of a massive showdown that had gone involving the group right in the walls go Hogwarts. Wood was now the caption of the Gryffindor team and had made close friends with Alicia Spinnet, a pretty Hispanic girl who played as Chaser on the team. Percy had made Prefect, just as he wanted, just like his brothers before him. He had taken his O.W.Ls that year. He and Penelope were in a serious relationship and on Valentine's Day that year, he'd told her that he loved her for the first time.

Percy no longer remembered the days when Oliver Wood had been the first to notice him.

The sixth-year Ginny had arrived. Throughout the whole year, she had been acting strange yet it seemed as though he was the only one to notice. The family learned at the end of the year that she'd been possessed by an evil dairy, go figure. Percy had his sights set on becoming Head Boy next year and was sure he'd get it, he had gotten phenomenal marks on his O.W.L's.

He'd been a nervous wreck throughout the second half of the second semester because of Penelope's paralyzation by whatever monster was running ramped through Hogwarts. The year had been eventful but when it finally came to a close things seemed alright again. Penelope had been cured and Gryffindor had once again won the house cup.

The days when Oliver Wood had been the first to notice him were the farthest thing from his mind.

In the seventh year, the dementors had shown up at the school. It was a precaution against the recently escaped Sirius Black. The students were instructed to proceed as normal but it was harder with the gloomy atmosphere that constantly lurked over the castle. Percy had been made Head Boy, just as he wanted but had chosen to stay in the seventh year Gryffindor boy's dormitory. He sat for his N.E.W.T's and did his best to enjoy his last year to the fullest extent. Penelope and him and broken up, it was mutual and amicable; they both knew they were headed down different paths career-wise and that it probably wouldn't have worked. Percy found himself not as upset over it as he thought he'd be.

One night, towards the end of the year, fate had found himself and Oliver alone in their dormitory. Their roommates were elsewhere and a conversation ensued, pouring from between them as though the distance between them for the past 6 years had been nothing but a mirage. They'd shared a bottle of Fire Whiskey that had been snuck in, toasting to their last year at Hogwarts.

By 3 in the morning, they were both sloppily drunk. It was only the liquor that gave him enough courage to turn to the boy, with glassy eyes and wet lips, a slight smile on his face from the leftover laugh they'd just shared and ask;

"Why'd we stop Ollie?'

Oliver turned towards the ginger, a small smile gracing his own features as he cradled the almost empty bottle in his hand.

"Stop what Perc?" He asked quietly before taking a swig.

Percy took a glance at the boy in front of him. The one he had considered his closest friend at one point. He'd grown since then, they both had.

The once small boy he knew was no longer, replaced with a tall and muscled man with a dark tan and messy straw-colored hair. With amber eyes and soft-looking pink lips and a Scottish accent that could make anyone's knees weak.

"Stop being friends," Percy answered.

Oliver went quiet and stared at the boy. His eyes raking over every part of Percy's face as if he was trying to absorb what sat before him.

"Things got confusing," Oliver answered, with his eyes settled on Percy's lips.

"No, they didn't." Percy shook his head, closing his eyes.

Oliver took another swig of fire whiskey, relishing in the way it burned going down his throat before he answered. He wondered if it was the liquor or his Gryffindor courage that was convincing him this conversation was a good idea.

"It did for me."

Percy's eyes strayed back to the Quidditch player, curiosity lighting them.

"Why?"

This time Oliver gave no verbal answer. There was only silence for several minutes and at first, Percy wondered if Wood had heard him at all. He knew he had when his eyes shifted towards him and found that Oliver was already staring at him.

Their eyes locked for what seemed like forever and Percy could feel his ears growing warm, the feeling of lightheadedness settling in. With another swig of liquid courage, Oliver drained the bottle before tossing it to the side where it rolled on the carpeted floor, away from them.

His heart was pounding in his ears but the liquor had already won and he knew that as he grabbed the collar of Percy's shirt and pulled him closer, planting his own lips on the ginger-haired boy's.

Percy Weasley could no longer forget the days when Oliver Wood was the first one to notice him.


	10. "The First Installment Of The Adventures Of The Gryffindor Girls...+Luna &Padma"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set during The Goblet Of Fire

The feeling of someone jumping on her bed was what woke Star up from her dreamless sleep. She'd been in total ecstasy, sunken into the memory foam mattress of her four-poster bed. It all crashed to an end when what could've only been a demon sent from Hell decided that she didn't deserve happiness.

With a loud growl she kicked her leg out and the sound of a body hitting the floor brought a small smile to her face. It didn't last for long as whoever had hit the floor recovered quickly and resumed their assault on her sleep.

When the bouncing refused to stop she lifted her head from the comfortable pillow and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When her vision had focused she was met with the sight of a fully dressed and grinning Lavender Brown hopping on her bed. From her peripheral vision, she could see Parvati doing the same for Hermione.

Obviously what was happening was that the girls had awoken and chosen violence for the day.

"Why?" Was all that she managed to groan out, voice sounding scratchy.

"Wake up," Lavender replied energetically. "The sun is out!"

Star gave the girl an incredulous look at the statement.

"Am I scheduled for photosynthesis," She cried. "Can the Earth not rotate unless I get out of bed?"

Lavender paused her jumping and frowned. Her arms came to cross in front of her chest and she let out a huff of frustration.

"You both promised you'd go to Hogsmeade with us to get our dresses for the Yule Ball." She stated stubbornly.

"We lied," Hermione groaned loudly from her bed where Parvati had yet to cease her assault on the Lupin girls mattress.

"Too bad," Parvati cried, voice chirpy. "You've got an hour to get ready while we go down to the Great Hall for breakfast and gather Ginny, Padma, and Luna."

"Good luck getting Gin to wake up before 10," Star responded, planting her face right back into her pillow.

"It wasn't luck," Ginny promised, exiting from the bathroom. "They busted into my dorm and dragged me by the legs."

"You kicked me in the stomach," Lavender said. "I would say that we're even."

"DIY abortion," Hermione mumbled, eyes still closed.

Star broke out into bark-like laughter at that and the corner of Hermione's lips twitched upwards. Lavender rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that graced her features.

"Regardless," Parvati stated, finally ceasing her jumps and climbing off Hermione's bed when she saw that the girl had lifted her head from the pillow. "You've promised and we're already ready. So hurry up and get dressed and we'll meet you at the front entrance after breakfast."

Both girls only groaned in response but were met with no answer. Together Parvati, Ginny, and Lavender put on their shoes and exited the room, leaving them to get ready.

"Why did we promise to go shopping again,"   
Hermione asked, dragging herself from bed. "We don't even like shopping."

"'Cause Lavender pulled those fucking puppy eyes on us," Star answered, rubbing her face. "Plus Luna went up a size since her boobs started growing in and needed new robes."

Hermione gave only a snicker in response, grabbing her towel from the rack and heading towards the bathroom for a quick shower. Star dragged herself from her comfortable bed, cursing whoever came up with the premise for the Yule Ball in her head and threw open her cabinet to find something to wear.

By the time the pair had finished getting ready there were only a few minutes until they were to meet their friends at the front entrance to catch the carriages into Hogsmeade. They had rushed down to the common room where the twins were sat with Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson. Hermione had greeted them, blushing at the sight of Angelina. Star gave only a short 'Hello' to everyone but Lee, they were on the outs for the time being. Lee noticed this and frowned but was too slow to say something as Star had grabbed Hermione by the wrist and dragged her out of the common room, mumbling something about how they were gonna be late.

"So you're still mad at Lee then?" Hermione asked as she and Star made their way down the stairs.

"He asked Alicia Spinnet to the ball Hermione," Star exploded for the hundredth time and Hermione found herself wishing she hadn't asked. "Alicia fucking Spinnet."

"I thought you liked Alicia," Hermione responded.

"I love Alicia," Star deadpanned, looking Hermione straight in the eye. "That isn't a problem. The problem is the principle."

"What principle?" Hermione groaned.

"Lee and I have been together since the first year," Her friend responded. "But does he ask me to the ball? No! He asks Alicia Spinnet."

"Lee and Alicia have been friends for years." Hermione pointed out. "Plus she's still upset that Cedric asked Cho so maybe Lee was just trying to spare her the embarrassment of going alone."

"So you're telling me," Star began, turning to face Hermione once they'd made their way off of the staircase. "That you aren't the least bit upset with Fred for asking Angelina to the ball?"

Hermione blushed at the implication but said nothing because she knew that Star was right. Fred didn't know of her feelings for Angelina but that didn't mean it hurt any less when she had watched him ask her crush to the Yule Ball and having her say yes. Despite all logic, Hermione had held out hope that Angelina would ask her and that they could go together but that hadn't happened and instead, she was set to go to the ball with Viktor Krum.

"Well at least you aren't going alone," Hermione offered.

That much was true. When Star had learned that Lee had asked Alicia she cried just a bit before wiping her eyes and asking Luna to the ball. There weren't any romantic implications behind it. Star needed a date, Luna was a third-year and couldn't attend unless an upperclassman took her and the girls had been friends for a while so it all worked out perfectly.

"I still don't know why you asked Luna," Hermione commented as they began their walk towards the main entrance. "Blaise probably would've been happy to take you."

Star frowned slightly.

"Yeah but he asked Tracey Davis," She responded.   
"And Adrian asked Daphne Greengrass. Besides, I like Luna."

"Thanks, Star," A soft voice chirped from beside them. "I like you too."

The girls turned to see Luna, Ginny, Lavender, Padma, and Parvati standing beside them.

"Wow," Lavender commented, an impressed look on her face. "You actually made it downstairs on time."

"Fuck off Brown," Hermione responded, good-naturedly.

"You wish Lupin," Lavender shot back, a grin on her face.

"Yes you're both very lesbian inclined," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Can we get to the bloody carriages now?"

"What's wrong with you?" Star asked as the group made their way to the carriages.

"Ron was a prick at breakfast," Parvati answered for her. "Made a big deal about her going to the ball with Neville."

Hermione let out a scoff. She was still angry at Ron for the implication he had made during study hall 2 days ago, that she hadn't been able to get a date. In a fit of anger she'd revealed that she did, in fact, have a date and since then he had been hounding her for a hint on who it was. Fred had been curious too but Hermione hadn't noticed. Star did though. She knew the older Weasley twin had feelings for the young Lupin even though he did his best to not make it obvious and he did a pretty good job but that was probably because he didn't even know how he felt. She and George had a pool going on when they would realize their feelings for each other and get together.

The ride to Hogsmeade had been somewhat uneventful. Lavender had filled in the girls on what happened at breakfast between Ron and Ginny, Parvati jumping in anytime she'd forget something and by the end, they had acted out the entire encounter, to which Hermione and Star applauded. Ginny sat in silence fuming in remembrance of the argument but by the end had almost busted her gut laughing at Padma's reenactment of Harry during the whole situation. It was by the grace of Godric that every square inch of the village wasn't packed with young witches fighting to find their robes for the ball. The group made their way to a small boutique before splitting off into separate directions.

"What's my color?" Padma cried, her voice ringing through the store from somewhere on the right side.

"Pink," Star shouted back, skimming through a rack of ballgowns that looked like they were from the 14th century and moving on in disgust.

"What about me?" Parvati called from the opposite side of the boutique.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows at that, pausing her scanning of a set of seafoam colored dress robes.

"You're the same shade you loon," She called back. "Wouldn't her color be your color?"

There was silence before Parvati responded with an,   
"Oh."

"Well now we know why Parvati isn't in Ravenclaw," Ginny stated, walking past Luna to a peach and light green set of dress robes.

She lifted it off them from the rack, holding it against her form in front of the mirror provided on the wall. It wasn't ugly, wasn't great but she could probably pull it off. That was enough reason to try it on. She made her way to the changing room, making quick work of slipping into the robes.

"What do we think?" She asked, exiting the changing station.

Her friends turned to face her, ready to critique the dress and rip into it like a pack of starving wolves. At least they were honest.

"It's cute," Padma started.

"Not cute enough," Lavender cut in.

"The color washes you out," Hermione threw over her shoulder, grabbing hold of a set of periwinkle robes.

"It holds your form well," Luna offered, trying to sound nice. "The ruffles are nice but,"

"They make you look like a little kid." Parvati finished.

Ginny gave her a deadpanned look.

"I am a little kid."

"So why'd you get so mad this morning when Ron told you that you were too young to go to the ball or have a date?" Luna asked nonchalantly, observing a ghastly bright orange dress that reminded Ginny a lot of her own hair shade.

Ginny frowned at that. She had been quite mad at breakfast but she had every right. Ron and she were only a year apart but he had the audacity to act as though he was so much more older and mature than her. Not only that but he'd embarrassed her in front of the entire Gryffindor table. The memory of how red she'd turned at his insistence that Neville had bad intentions fueled her with annoyance once again. Bad intentions, Neville! He probably had the purest intentions of any boy in the castle, including the bloody first years. Even if he did have bad intentions, Ron made it seem like Ginny couldn't have handled herself should the need arise. The nerve.

"You lot are right," Ginny concluded. "I'll keep looking."

"No need," Cheered Star, moving to face Ginny. "I've found the perfect dress."

"I thought we'd agreed I was wearing robes?" Ginny questioned in response.

Star's smile fell.

"But this would look so cute on you," She cooed.   
"Plus it'd give you a figure and maybe Ron will see that you're not a helpless 4-year-old anymore."

Annoyance shot through Ginny once again. But Star was right, Star was usually right, especially when it comes to things like this.

"Okay," She agreed. "I'll try it on."

Star let out a loud cheer and grabbed Ginny by the wrist, dragging her back into the changing room. The fourth-year barely had time to blink before the older girl had her out of the old set of dress robes and into what was probably the most gorgeous dress she'd ever seen. It was a set, a silk slip dress with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline, the color a very light yellow and stopping at her ankles. Curves that had never been seen before were shown off in the dress and the second part of the ensemble, a brown corset that went on top, set off her eyes and gave her a waist. A waist! The colors matched her perfectly and even managed to make her freckles look elegant.

"Dear Merlin," Star whispered. "I'm a fucking miracle worker."

Ginny was given no time to respond before she was dragged back out of the changing station and Star called for the group to come back and look at the outfit. She hadn't ever felt prettier than when she saw Lavender's jaw drop at the sight of her in the dress.

"You look gorgeous," Parvati cried, standing alongside Lavender.

Ginny's face turned a bright red for the second time today but at least this time was for a good reason. In the fit of excitement, she hadn't noticed Star walk away from the group. Hermione had stepped from the dressing room next to hers and did a quick twirl for the group, all of them agreeing that she looked stunning.

By mid-afternoon, every girl had collected their gowns and shoes.

Ginny; the light yellow colored silk slip dress. The neckline plunged but not too far and the spaghetti straps allowed for the freckles on her shoulders to be shown off. The corset hugged her waist tightly, giving a show to her curves and it's brown color with the golden snaps setting off her eyes perfectly. She'd collected a pair of dark brown heels, closed-toed, that the girls had agreed to teach her to walk in.

Hermione; a set of lavender dress robes. It was made from fine lace and the color matched perfectly to her brown skin. It was mermaid-cut with the bottom flaring out so that when she walked it seemed as though she were floating. The sleeves were long and the neckline came up high, something like a turtle neck, making her look regal. She agreed to a pair of silver stilettos after a lot of arguing between her and Padma.

Luna; a silver dress. It hugged her new curves nicely, a mermaid-cut just like Hermione's but with spaghetti straps like Ginny's. It just hit the floor and sparkled like diamonds whenever the light would hit it. She chose to pair it with silver gladiator sandals that laced up to her mid-calf. It took a while but Parvati and Lavender had finally explained to the girl why she couldn't wear her beer-cap necklace to the ball, though Lavender later whispered about having a pair of tear-drop diamond earrings that they could charm to repel Nargles for Luna to wear the night in question.

Star; a bright red gown. It was sleeveless and low-cut, cinching at her waist and flaring out wide around her hips and legs. There was a slit up the side that ran to her mid-thigh and with the way it puffed out around her she reminded Hermione exactly of a Disney princess. It was made of fine silk and the bright, almost Gryffindor red, color worked nicely with the darkness of Star's skin. The back had laces like a corset and the the dress allowed her tattoos to be on full display. Lavender and Hermione convinced her to get a pair of strappy gold stilettos.

Padma and Parvati had chosen to get matching sarees. They were made of cotton and silk, light pink color with dark red undertones that suited the darker parts of their skin. In the dark red were engravings, gorgeous designs that covered the light pink parts of the sarees, and that made the girls shine whenever they moved. The saris brushed the floor and the girls had chosen a pair of silver flats.

Lavender chose a wine-colored dress. The neckline was plunging and the shoulder's broad. It became pinched at the waist before flowing out though not as much as Star's dress. The dark color worked nicely against the girl's naturally tanned skin and the back was bare. She had chosen wine-colored heels to go along.

It took a lot, a lot, of arguing but Star managed to convince Hermione and Ginny to let her pay for their dresses. The argument when on for a while but in the end, Luna pointed out that there was nothing the girls could do seeing as Star had already paid for them when they were in the changing rooms. On the walk back to the carriages Ginny had pulled the older girl into a tight hug and mumbled a small "Thank you" into her ear before running to catch up with Hermione, Parvati, Luna, and Padma who were already up ahead.

"You didn't have to do it you know," Lavender stated, walking alongside Star, dress threw over her elbow and wrapped in the protective plastic the boutique had provided.

"I wanted to," Star stated truthfully, turning to look at the girl.

"You know they don't hate you, right," Lavender asked, noticing how Star had switched her gaze to the girls in front of them. "I know you think they'll judge you because of what the Ministry says about your dad, but they don't."

Star frowned a little. Lavender didn't know that her father was innocent of the crimes he's been accused of but for as gossipy as the girl was, she'd never judged Star unlike a large number of their classmates had last year.

"I don't really care what people think of me," Star stated. "Never really have. But I don't like when people talk about him. And I'm okay with everyone else hating me but I don't know what I'd do if I woke up one day and you guys did."

It was Lavender's turn to frown.

"We're never gonna hate you," She told truthfully.   
"You're kind of stuck with us for the rest of your life."

Star laughed.

"We leave school in 3 years." She reminded.

"So," Lavender shrugged. "If you think you're getting rid of us, you're sadly mistaken. We'll be here forever. I'm supposed to be the godmother of your fourth kid, remember?"

Star remembered. The sleepover they'd had at the end of their first year as though they didn't share a room every other night. There were secrets shared and promises made, the order of who would be the godmother of which person's future child made. Lavender had claimed fourth of Star's batch.

"What makes you think I'm gonna have 4 kids?" Star asked eyebrow raised.

"I can see the future Black," Lavender teased, looping her arm through her roommates. "You'll be married with lots of kids."

"Who do I marry?" Star asked, amused.

"Well, I can't tell you," Lavender replied, tone serious. "Or else it won't come true."

Star snorted.

"Trust me," Lavender insisted. "Everything will work out just as it's supposed to."


	11. Ron Weasley x Pansy Parkinson; "Romeo&Juliet"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** A chapter from "The Lives They Lived" **
> 
> This is set during The Half-Blood Prince.

Ronald Weasley never really had anything that was all his own. The youngest brother in a family of seven children and the least impressive, in his opinion at least, he was no stranger to hand me downs. Whether it be old clothes his brothers had grown too large for or toys that they no longer deemed worth their time; everything he'd ever owned had belonged to someone else at a point. 

It wasn't that he didn't love his family, it was only that being in the limelight for so long tended to mess with one's head. It wasn't until he'd been sent off to Hogwarts that he finally, finally, had something to himself: his friends. Eventually, he'd have to share those with his family as well. 

Pansy Parkinson had never belonged anywhere. Born to parents who hoped for a boy; a mother gone in every sense but physical and a father who overly inserted himself into her private affairs, leaving her feeling uncomfortable in her skin, she'd been out of place since she took her first breath. The only place she felt safe was by herself, hidden amongst the shadows of her family's manor. 

When it was her time to be sent off to Hogwarts she had been ripped from the shadows that she'd made a home from and the weight of her family settled firmly on her frail shoulders. It became her responsibility to restore and uphold the Parkinson name, the pressure nearly causing her knees to buckle. There'd been whispers from the older years the moment she stepped inside, talking of her mother's numerous miscarriages - each tearing more life from her than the last, and her father's morbid affairs but soon she made a name for herself, breaking the mold and restoring glory to the family name. Whatever glory was left anyway. 

Ronald Weasley was not supposed to fall in love with Pansy Parkinson. But it was the strangest thing, whenever she laughed it was this strong, almost clanging sound, like Christmas bells and he had always loved the sound of Christmas bells. Or on the rare occasions, she was to smile, the gesture would nearly split her face in two and it felt as though the sun was shining down on him and he had always loved the feeling of the sun. And when she walked past him in corridors or curled herself into his arms, she smelled like jasmine and he had always loved the smell of jasmine and she tasted like coconut pastries and he loved those just as much.

It almost seemed impossible for him not to love her when she was everything that he loved. 

Pansy Parkinson was not supposed to fall in love with Ronald Weasley. But she liked when he held her hand because he did it in a way that made it feel as though their hands were made to hold each other. And when he took her on late-night flights around Hogwarts grounds when they should've been making Prefect rounds, his arms were always just tight enough around her that for the first time in her life amongst shadows; she felt safe. When he kissed her she felt cared for and wanted in a way she never had before. 

It almost seemed impossible for her to not fall in love with him when he was everything she never thought she would be able to have. 

The stars were not aligned for them. He was a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin. Her parents were Death Eaters and his part of the Order. He was friends with Potter and she was friends with Malfoy. Her family were part of the Sacred 28, pure-blood supremacists, and his were well-known blood traitors.

Perhaps it was against all logic that they worked together and their heads were far too high in the clouds or perhaps they both knew just how crazy they were and things often felt too hard for either of them to handle. But then she would laugh or he would grab hold of her hand and it all made sense again.

Pansy Parkinson was a pure-blooded Slytherin with ink-black hair and a heart made of pure ice. She had a silver tongue and a glare that could turn anyone to stone. And she was all his. 

Ronald Weasley was a Gryffindor with a bleeding heart of gold. He had too many freckles and his hair was an almost obnoxious shade of red. And he was the only place in the entire world where she belonged. 

It didn't surpass Pansy's notice how cliche their love story was, in fact, it often bugged her and she had no issue with sharing her qualms. 

"We're like Romeo and Juliet," Ron offered one night, face lit with a goofy smile because she was close enough that he could smell her jasmine perfume. 

"Who?" Pansy had asked, features twisted into a look of confusion, and Ron's grin had only widened. 

She couldn't help but notice how good that he looked when he smiled. It brightened up his entire face and his toffee brown eyes would take on a hint of childish innocence that she adored. She had never really had the chance to be a child.

"A couple of sod's from an old muggle story that Star made me read in third year," He revealed. "They were a lot like us."

Pansy only offered an eye roll before busying herself with planting her lips firmly upon his. 

Still, the names had plagued her for days and days until she had finally gone out and found a copy of Romeo and Juliet. She would read it at night in bed with the curtains of the four-poster drawn shut tightly and hide it beneath her mattress before she left for classes in the morning. 

Truth be told she hadn't had high hopes for a piece of Muggle written literature when she'd first purchased the book. It didn't stop her from being completely enthralled by the story throughout its entire rendition and she found herself crying in the end when Juliet had killed herself. The story soon became her favorite, the pages turning yellow and corners becoming worn, the spine of the book done out from how many times she'd opened it and she cried every time. 

"They were a lot like us..." Ron's words would replay themselves in Pansy's head whenever she picked up the book. She thought about them often, turning them over like a stone in her hand for hours at a time, wondering what he could've meant. 

There were obvious similarities between her relationship with Ron and the relationship in the book, but what had it been exactly that he was comparing them to? Was it the love Romeo held for Juliet or comparing their fast as star-crossed lovers to the couple in the story? Was he predicting their love story would end in tragedy?

Eventually, her curiosity had gotten the best of her, as it tended to do, and she hadn't been able to help but blurt out, "What did you mean they were a lot like us?"

Ron had answered her with a look of complete and utter befuddlement at the sudden outburst, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Romeo and Juliet," Pansy had huffed. "You said that they were a lot like us. How?"

Ron raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend, the corner of his lip twitching upward when he became aware of her annoyed stance. It did no one well to poke a bear but he couldn't resist himself. She was so amusing when she was frustrated. 

"Well they are, aren't they?" Was all he offered. 

"But how?" Pansy stressed, beginning to wonder if she should've said anything in the first place. 

"We love each other, don't we," He gave her no time to answer, not a doubt in his mind that the answer was yes. "But we aren't exactly supposed to be together. Everything is against us but I can't stop myself from being completely enchanted by you."

It was her turn to fight the upward twitch of the corners of her mouth and she pulled him in for a kiss, leaning up for their lips to meet so that she could mumble "I love you" against them. But she knew that he knew that already. 

Because everything in the entire world was probably against them and the love they had for each other except that she couldn't stop herself from being completely enchanted by him either and that's how she knew just how fucked they both were.

Ron knew that they were screwed, he wasn't dense. He was very well aware of the fact that war was brewing just outside the walls of Hogwarts and that Harry would be right in the middle of it. He knew that wherever Harry went that he would follow and so would Hermione and Star. He knew very well that by this time next year there was a good possibility that he and everyone he cared about could be dead. 

He knew that the world was against them as so were the odds, that they were probably destined to live and die as tragedy just like Romeo and Juliet had. Except that it was so hard for him to bring himself to care because she was standing so close and she smelled like jasmine and tasted like coconut pastries. 

It was hard to care when he finally had something that belonged only to him and it was the one thing he would never want to let go of. Romeo had Juliet and Ron had Pansy.


	12. Minerva McGonagall "Never Had"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** From "They'll Tell Our Stories" **

Minerva McGonagall never had children of her own. She'd been married when she was younger but unfortunately, her love had passed away some years into their time together. Eventually, she had joined the Hogwarts staff as Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor of house, the house she'd been sorted into when she attended the school all those years ago. She'd never remarried, instead choosing to gain fulfillment from her work and the students she was tasked to look after.

Minerva McGonagall had never had children of her own.

Sirius Black was an unusual boy, to say the least. He was the "White Sheep" of his family, the first to ever be sorted into Gryffindor, and strayed from the path of his bloodline, unbelieving of the notion of pure-blood supremacy. He made fast friends with the Potter boy and together they wreaked havoc on the castle but she could never really bring herself to really punish them, especially after she learned of the sort of things he went through at home.

Minerva watched as the boy grew into a man, making close friends with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew along with James. She watched him take care of his friends and protect them, watched his heart broke as his younger brother drifted even farther from him, and watched as he grew to be more of a Potter than he ever was a Black.

Unwillingly, her heart grew fond of the four boys and she promised herself to always look out for them.

She watched as James Potter finally won over Lily Evans. She watched as Remus Lupin finally learned who he was and realized that he wasn't all monster. She watched as Peter Pettigrew left his shell and made a name for himself amongst the Mauraders. She watched as Sirius Black became the man she always knew he could be.

After their graduation, she locked herself in her office and cried. She cried because her boys were leaving the safety of Hogwarts and heading out into the real world where a war was brewing and if she knew her boys, which she did, she knew that they would be running headfirst into the middle of it.

She'd been right. They all joined the Order as soon as they had left school, Lily Evans, Frank, and Alice Longbottom right along with them. She cried every night they were sent off on a mission, praying that her boys would make it back to her.

Minerva McGonagall never had kids, but she did have her boys.

An Order meeting had run late one night right after the boys had come from work. The rest of them seemed to be okay but Sirius had practically fallen asleep at the table and when she'd cornered the other they admitted that he'd been having trouble sleeping as of lately. When the meeting was over Minerva had dragged the boy by the sleeve of his jacket to the apparition point before transporting them to his flat in Diagon Alley.

It was small and quiet but so incredibly Sirius with posters of Muggle and Magical rock bands everywhere, pictures of the Marauders and Lily scattered, several bookcases filled with records and cassettes, and each wall painted a different color. She had sent him to wash up while she brewed them a pot of tea. On her way past the kitchen she'd noticed a framed photo on the side table next to his over-stuffed maroon couch, it was them the day of his graduation and the sight brought a small smile to her face.

When he'd come back from his wash up she'd forced a cup of tea into his hands, making sure he drank all of it before sending him off to bed.

"Yes mum," He said, rubbing his eyes and greatly resembling a child before he stalked into his bedroom to rest.

Minerva had stood in the same spot, shock gluing her to the floor. Sirius had called her that on several occasions back at Hogwarts, letting the word slip by accident before turning into a blushing mess of a boy. This was the first time he had since leaving school and to her great surprise; she found she'd missed it. Over time he'd stuck to calling her mom, whether consciously or not, she would never know.

Minerva McGonagall never had children, but she did have Sirius Black.

She was the first person he had come to when he first realized that he was in love with Savannah Rose. She was the first one besides his friends to welcome Savannah into the Order. She was the first one to know the gender of the baby after they'd learn they were pregnant. She was the first one at the hospital when Savannah's water had broken. She was the first one to hold little Star Savannah Black besides her parents. She was who they'd asked to be the godmother.

Minerva was there for all her boy's big moments. James and Lily's wedding, the birth of Harry and of Hermione. It was her that had been the first one to hold the little babies after the rest of the Marauders and she had been the one who told the boys to get it together after they'd each freaked out over the prospect of being fathers. It was her who Peter Pettigrew first came out as asexual too. It was her who'd boughten Hermione her first book and given Star the stuffed bunny she went everywhere with.

When news of the prophecy broke so did her heart. But still, she put up a strong face and said goodbye to one of her boys as he was forced to go into hiding with his family, unsure if or when he'd return. He wouldn't return. The death of Peter had nearly broken her, the deaths of James and Lily destroyed her but it was Sirius's arrest that nearly killed her.

Still, she fought against Albus's insistence of leaving Harry with those awful Muggles. Still, she comforted Remus at each and every one of the funerals. Still, she watched over Star.

When the news had broken Remus had left for a while. No one knew where he'd gone but he was gone, disappearing into the wind; leaving Hera and Hermione behind. It broke Minerva all over again and each night she would sink into herself and weep because her boys; were gone.

Years later she would be forced to face their reincarnations. Forced to grow fond of and love their children who were so much like them. Harry who was practically James's clone but whose personality could only be Lily's. Star who was the embodiment of Sirius in all but the skin and soul she'd snatched directly from her mother. Hermione who resembled so much Hera but carried Remus's eyes and his heart. Even Ronald who would often remind her of Peter were she not careful.

It was Star she grew particularly close to. It was Star who came to Minerva for each problem she was facing. It was Star who grew to wear t-shirts of rock bands and to tie up her wild mane of hair using her wand and it was Star who called her 'mom' by accident on more than one occasion. It was Star she cried for because she hoped to Merlin that history would not repeat itself more than it already had.

Minerva McGonagall never had children, but she had Star.

When she learned of Sirius's innocence and Peter's betrayal she screamed. She couldn't remember what or who at but she'd screamed and she'd wailed and she'd broken things because her boy; her poor boy had spent all that time imprisoned for a crime he hadn't committed. And when they were reunited she clutched him tightly to her body and sobbed into his chest because he was so big now and so different and he looked so drained.

Then she watched him fall. Star had run into her office immediately after the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. Her hair was a mess and her face covered in blood and dirt, her eyes drained and sad.

There were rules against physical contact with students but to hell with the rules when they were both hurt. She'd clutched the poor girl to her body much as she had to her father upon their reunion and together they cried.

When Remus fell at the Battle of Hogwarts it felt as though her world view had shattered. She'd done it, against all her hope of a different outcome, Minerva had done it. She'd outlived her boys. Hermione sat, hunched over her father's body and sobbing into his chest and it was all Minerva could do not to join her. With her arms wrapped firmly around the girl's shoulder, Minerva had allowed Hermione to sob into her shoulder much as Star had done those two years ago. Though Merlin did it feel like a century.

At the news of Harry's death, she'd screamed. For the first time since this wretched battle had started all those bloody years ago, she finally opened her mouth and voiced her pain, her grief, and her heartache. Minerva opened her mouth and screeched a blood-curdling scream and let the tears fall freely because it couldn't have been. She couldn't have outlived another one of her children. How grateful had she been that she, in fact, hadn't.

Minerva McGonagall had watched as her boys had grown up. She watched as they paired off or had kids or become warriors and she watched as they'd fallen. She watched as her golden children grew up. She watched as they paired off or had kids and how they became warriors.

On the day that Star Savannah Black had married Bill Weasley, Minerva had been the one to get her ready. Minerva had been the one to walk her down the aisle alongside Harry. Minerva had been the one to press a kiss to the girl's forehead and whisper about how proud her father would've been. She'd cried like a baby at the sight of her girl getting married and had been by her side for the birth of every one of her kids and she'd been the first to hold the 3rd born of the clan, her granddaughter; Minerva Black-Weasley.

Minerva found herself looking back on her life every time she watched any of her honorary grandkids running through the walls of Hogwarts like their parents had before them and their parents had before them. Whenever there had been a promotion or another baby born or another marriage, whatever the case was; Minerva would look back on her life and smile fondly.

Minerva McGonagall had always had children.


	13. Star Black x Bill Weasley; "Scars"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to write a cute Bill and Star chapter because I mainly depict them as toxic and my friend told me she needed to see them happy LMFAOO. So here you go, this is a domestic chapter between the two. 
> 
> Start leaving requests for what chapter you guys would like to see in the future.
> 
> Set 3 years post-final battle.

The sound of mingling horns and pianos came from the record player and filled the air. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon hung heavily in every room of the house and a cold breeze blew through from an open window in the kitchen. Wooden floorboards gave a creak with each step and were only overpowered by the sound of a child's happy screech. The bliss all came to a crash when the fireplace suddenly filled with green flames and two ginger men stepped out from it.

"Marcus I swear to all I hold sacred that if you're in my house to try and steal a fucking flan before I bring it to you and Charlie tonight I will make sure that you'll be the most celibate you've been since Hogwarts," Star warned, coming around a corner before stopping short and gasping at the sight before her. "What happened?"

On her couch, her new couch, laid her boyfriend, and leaned over him was his younger brother. Blood stained Bill's clothes and his shirt had been torn open, bandages wrapped around his torso. Charlie was inspecting the damage, whispering something to his brother before their own conversation stopped short at hearing the younger woman's voice.

"I thought you said she wouldn't be home?" Charlie asked, voice sounding slightly strained and face twisting into a wince.

"Charles Weasley," Star cried, sounding scarily like his mother at the moment.

"Twinkle," He called, turning around with his arms spread wide as though gesturing for a hug. "Great to see you!"

"She wasn't supposed to be home," Bill groaned from his place on the couch, eyes shut tightly. "She was supposed to be at Harry's. Asani and James had a playdate."

"Yeah well James came down with a stomach virus," Star started coldly, arms crossed and glaring at the two men. "Doesn't explain what the hell happened here."

"You should've told me," Bill frowned, looking at his girlfriend.

The hairs on Charlie's arms stood at attention, a reaction he'd adapted since working with dragons. They tended to spike up when there was tension building in the room and he really hoped that an argument wasn't about to ensue.

"Asani was sad that her date got canceled so I told her she could help me make the flans," Star frowned back. "We got busy."

"What's going on?" Percy asked, exiting from the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Charlie responded, confused at seeing his younger brother in his older brother's house.

"Why are you?" Percy shot back.

"Oh my fucking Gods," Star groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Will someone explain to me why my husband is laid out on my brand new couch with blood on his clothes?"

The corners of Bill's mouth twitched at being referred to as Star's husband. It was something she tended to do when she was stressed out or distracted, it would fall from her mouth without much thought but it never failed to make him feel warm and fuzzy inside. According to his family, Bill tended to let the word 'wife' slip just as much.

"There was an incident at work," Charlie explained, afraid of invoking his friend's wrath. "Bill got hit with a hex and transported to St. Mungo's."

Percy did a sharp intake of breath through his teeth at that but Star's eyes narrowed tightly. A small growl escaped from through her lips and Merlin did Charlie hope this wasn't one of those moments that she chose to showcase her talent with a wand.

Both Charlie and Bill noted that Percy had taken a small step away from the woman, away from them on what he seemed to have deemed the safer side of the room.

"Why wasn't I contacted?" Star asked hands on her hips.

Merlin, she really looked like their mother. It was a scary sight.

"Charlie was already there," Bill rushed. "We ran into each other and they figured since I already had someone there that no one needed to be called."

"Plus I'm already on his emergency contact list," Charlie stumbled, hoping he didn't sound as scared as he felt. So much for Gryffindor bravery. "They let me sign him out."

"Wait," Percy asked, now at the back of the room having moved an inch away from Star every few seconds since the conversation had started. "Why were you at St. Mungo's?"

Bill's facepalm could be heard throughout the room.

"I was meeting someone," Charlie responded, hoping Percy didn't ask any more questions.

"Who?" Star asked, arms crossed now and Charlie silently cursed the small witch.

"Oliver," Charlie responded, biting back a grimace.

"What," Percy cried, eyes wide now. "What happened to Ollie?"

"Hit by a stray bludger during practice," Answered Bill from the couch. "Got him right in the ribs. We stopped to drop him off before coming here. He's home resting."

"Why was I not made aware?" Percy asked, sparks coming from his fingertips at the annoyance and worry he was currently experiencing but whether it was towards his husband or brother's, he didn't know.

"He said that he didn't want to worry you," Charlie responded honestly.

"Doesn't explain why you," Star accused, turning on Bill while Percy ran back into the kitchen. "Were trying to sneak this by me."

"For the same reason love," Bill explained wincing at the pain in his abdomen when he turned. "I knew you would freak out."

"I have to go," Percy interrupted, coming from the kitchen with his jacket in hand and a flan in the other. "I have to go yell at Oliver and then make him soup."

"Sounds like a plan," Star nodded, giving Percy a good-bye hug. "I'll see you next week."

With a good-bye to his brothers, Percy stepped into the floo and disappeared in a mess of green flames. At the sound of the fireplace going off, Asani chose to make her appearance, waddling in with her arms crossed.

"'Ercy?" She asked, not quite able to sound out her P's yet.

"Uncle Percy went home honey," Star explained, smoothing out the top of her goddaughter's wild mess of curls. "He had to go check on Tio Ollie."

Asani glanced around the room, eyes lighting up at the sight of Bill. Though only when she saw Charlie did her face break out into an impossibly wide grin and she gave a cheer.

"Tio Charlie," She screamed, running as quickly as she could into him.

Charlie bent down, scooping up the toddler just as she made it to his arms and wrapping them tightly around her before lifting her into the air.

"How's it going princess?" He cooed, fascinated with his niece as always.

"Wow," Bill called from the couch. "Overlooked by my own daughter."

"Daddy!" Asani called but it didn't really matter because she was occupied with her Tio Charlie's nose at the moment.

She had always liked her Tio Charlie's nose. She liked his hair too because it reminded her of her daddy's, just like the rest of her uncles but she liked her daddy's hair the best.

It seemed like Star was over being mad, having left and returned with a vial of soothing oil that she'd brewed, the recipe coming from her mother's old spellbook. Charlie took that as a sign to distract Asani which he tended to be quite good at. He told her to go get one of her books for him and he'd read it to her. While the pair made their way to Asani's room to do just that, Star was sat on the very edge of the couch, inspecting Bill's wrappings with a deep frown.

"What was it exactly," She asked, voice sounding jaded when she finally opened the bandages to see the deep cuts and dark bruises underneath. "That caused this."

Bill gave a hiss at the stinging feeling from the solvent soaked rag that touching his wounds before sighing in relief at the warm feeling that replaced it. St. Mungo's did a good job but his wife did a better one.

"There was this estate I was supposed to check out," Bill began to explain, watching as Star got lost in the work of healing his wounds like she always did whenever he came home all banged up. "Heavily warded and cursed. A hex backfired and hit me."

Star let out a deep sigh at that and closed her eyes, pausing in her motions. Every day Bill came home to her with new scars. She had her own, leftover from the war though a lot were covered with tattoos. But his never really seemed to fade. Being a curse breaker was dangerous, she knew, but there were jobs at Gringotts that didn't require so much risk. Fleur had worked there before the war before she chose to focus on her charms work and given birth to little Alice. Except that she could never ask Bill to give up something that she knew made him so happy, even if it left him so horribly scarred.

Bill knew that Star hated his scars. Since the war it was the ones on his face he'd been most insecure about, they had marked him for life and now people would always see him differently. He knew that the marks on his body reminded her of a darker time, of the scars that littered her own skin from the times she'd lost her father and those close to her. Of the time Asani's birth-father had died and left the baby girl to Star when she was only a few months old. It seemed as though there were times where it was hard for her to look at him and those were the moments he feared she'd become so disgusted by the sight of him she was ready to pack her things and leave.

It was in those times Bill missed Remus's company the most, he the most of anyone knew how hard it was to live with such scars.

"How's the little guy?" Bill mumbled, eyes beginning to feel heavy. It must've been the solvent.

Star frowned at him.

"Why do you think it's gonna be a boy?" She asked, placing her hand on her round stomach.

"I'm a Weasley gorgeous," He teased. "It's expected."

Star rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, fed up with him. Even when he was bleeding out on her new couch did he find a way to be snarky.

"Go to sleep Mr. Weasley," She told him, running her hand along the top of his head as she'd done with Asani earlier. "We'll be here when you wake up."

"Good night Mrs. Weasley," He mumbled, eyes closed and barely conscious. "I look forward to seeing you."

Bill was already asleep and hadn't noticed the grin that took over Star's face.

By the time Bill's eyes opened once again, he was no longer in the living room. He found himself instead in his and Star's bedroom, the small fireplace inside going and light coming from the hallway. The sound of water running in their ensuite bathroom filled the air but was shut quickly and out from the bathroom stepped Star. She wore one of his band t-shirts that stopped right at her mid-thigh and her hair was wrapped in a scarf, a large knot at the base of her neck, instead of in a bonnet tonight.

"Oh," She exclaimed, eyes falling on him. "You're awake."

Bill rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down. He had been cleaned and changed from out of his work clothes, into a pair of pajama bottoms.

"Who changed me?" He asked, voice sounding scratchy to which he grimaced.

"I did," Star answered, walking towards him and handing him a glass of water that had been sitting on the dresser. "After Charlie and I levitated you up the stairs and I cleaned you off."

"You didn't-" He was cut off by Asani running in the room.

"Daddy!" She cheered at the sight of Bill finally up.

Asani ran towards the bed and climbed on top before Star grabbed her and pulled her back before she could jump on Bill.

"You can't jump on daddy tonight," She explained. "He's been hurt."

Asani's eyes got wide at that and her lip fell into a pout. She hated when her father came home from work and he was hurt. They couldn't play together then and her mother always looked sad after he had fallen asleep. Taking his injuries into consideration, Asani crawled towards him carefully before curling into a ball in the crook of his arm, head rested against his bicep.

"Hi daddy," She whispered, a large smile on her face.  
Bill burst into laughter at the sight of her wide eyes, gazing up at him. Star had padded out of the room for whatever reason and it meant Bill had a few moments to corrupt his daughter.

"Hello princess," He responded with a grin.

"Why are you hurt?" She tried her hardest to annunciate. She had done a pretty good job but his daughter had always been smarter than most, even at only 3-years-old. Bill's smile softened.

"An evil house hexed daddy and made him sick."

Asani's frown deepened.

"Stupid house."

Bill snickered.

"Stupid house," He agreed, nodding.

"Tell a story," Asani ordered, curling deeper into the crook of her father's arm, careful not to hurt him.

"About?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Warrior queen and brave knight," She responded, tracing the scars on her father's face with her small fingers.

Bill smiled, she meant the story of her mother and father. He began where he always did; when the warrior queen first met the brave knight at the knight's younger brother's house for the Quidditch World Cup. He watched as his daughter's eyes became heavy during his embellished rendition of how he and Star had fallen in love.

He was always proud of his daughter, even when all she did was lay next to him and stare at him like he was all that existed in the world. She looked something like Star, Bill imagined it was because they both had Veela blood in them. Asani was lighter, closer to Millicent's caramel complexion, her eyes large just like Star's except they were black. She had a head full of untamable black curls just like Star did, currently confined under her own light pink silk bonnet. She had a small button nose and long lashes, full lips that always seemed to fix themselves into a pout when she didn't get her way, exactly like her mother.

"Is she asleep?" Star asked, re-entering the room with a bottle of what looked like paste, a vial of more solvent, and a glass of water.

Bill nodded in response, noting that the toddler had indeed fallen asleep on his arm. Star set everything down on the dresser before making her way to the bed and waking her daughter as gently as possible. Asani's large eyes blinked open and her lips once again had fallen into a pout at being woken up.

"C'mon baby," Star mumbled, leading the child off the bed. "Let's go to your room."

Asani nodded, placing a kiss on Bill's cheek before allowing herself to be lifted and then letting her head falling onto Star's shoulder once she was hoisted up and settled onto her mother's hip.

"Say good night to daddy," Star ordered as they walked from the room.

"Night daddy." Asani yawned as they left.

"Night princess." He replied.

When Star had come back from tucking in the girl she made a b-line for the materials she had brought in earlier before bringing them over to the bed. She gave Bill the water and made sure he drank it all before cutting open the bandages she had applied earlier. She winced at the sight but noted that the marks looked a little better than they had when he came home from the hospital. The medi-wizards always did the wrappings too tight. Star couldn't wait to get back to work, she loved spending time with Asani but maternity leave got boring sometimes.

The couple sat in silence as Star applied the thick paste to his bruises, rubbing it as softly as possible into his skin, and the solvent onto his wounds. The crackle of the fire filled the silence and offered something for Bill to focus on while Star tended to the cuts. When his eyes drifted back down towards her, it was hard not to focus.

Her eyes glittered in the light of the fire and it made her skin shine. The tattoo on the right side of her neck, Sirius's Azkaban's number, was left on display and the golden ink sparkled just the same as the rest of her tattoos, the roses on her left thigh were shown off as well. The constellation tattoo on the back of her right hand, the Sirius Star, and Veela on her left forearm also made their usual appearances. She made the room smell like cocoa butter and vanilla and handled him so tenderly, careful of causing him any unnecessary pain. Bill had always admired his parent's relationship, how they took care of and loved one another and it was during moments like this that he knew he'd found someone to be the Molly to his Arthur. He knew that he would marry her whenever she let him.

"I'm going to let them breathe so no bandages this time," Star stated simply before waving her wand, all the vials disappearing from their bed.

"Okay," Bill nodded before closing his eyes.

Star situated herself on the bed, right above Bill, and moved his head to lay on her lap and began to run her fingers through his hair. Bliss filled his senses and Bill allowed himself to enjoy her fingers, she was good at massages.

"We have an appointment this weekend at the Medi-Witch," Star mumbled. "To make sure everything is okay before birth."

Bill nodded in response.

"You'll finally see I'm right about it being a boy," He teased. Star huffed.

"I don't mind it being a boy," She insisted. "I just hope he'll like me."

"What'doyoumean?" Bill asked, mind muddled by the massage he was receiving.

"You're Asani's favorite," She answered with a roll of her eyes. "Let's hope this one likes me more than they like you."

Bill laughed at that. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. It was comfortable until it wasn't. Star had allowed her hand to stray from his head and began playing with his face, her fingers brushing the scars on his face. Bill froze up at the contact once she had begun to trace them, just as Asani had done not too long ago. He was used to Asani touching his scars, Star he was not.

"I know you think I hate them," Star whispered, using her other hand to trace the scars on his shoulder. "But I don't."

Bill gave no answer.

"I know that you think I resent you for them," She continued. "I think they make you look brave."

"Star," Bill interrupted.

"No," She insisted stubbornly. "Let me finish."

He returned to his silence.

"I love you," She continued. "You and your scars."

She bent down and placed a soft kiss to his lips then as if trying to assure him that everything she said, she meant. She had meant it.

Bill sat in silence, contemplating what she said long after it had been said. Even after she'd stopped tracing all the scars on his body and after she placed another kiss on his lips. After she had turned the lights out and crawled into bed beside him, finding her way under the covers and curling up to his body just as Asani had earlier.

"I love you and yours too." He finally responded, right before the Sand Man had lured him to sleep, whispering it into her ear and placing a kiss to the side of her neck.

Not a month later their child had been born. A healthy baby boy, the first with Veela blood to be born in centuries, with light skin, long eyelashes, thick dark hair, and large stormy Grey eyes. Sirius Achillies William Black-Weasley looked just like his namesake save for the special mark on his face, a lack of pigment in one specific area, right under his eye, and running across his cheek. Funnily enough in the exact place, shape, and size of the scars that resided on his father's face.

Oh, and Star had gotten her wish. Little Sirius loved his father but no one under the Sun could compare to his mama.


	14. Charlie Weasley x Marcus Flint; "Key"

Charlie Weasley remembered his first love like he remembered the alphabet. He remembered his greatest heartbreak as he remembered his favorite song. He would remember this love like it was his own name.

Nymphadora Tonks had exploded her way right into his life like a rogue firecracker. She had the prettiest smile he had ever seen and hair that changed colors when she was mad or happy or sad. If anyone besides a professor called her by her first name she'd make sure they walked away with their mouths glued shut. Tonks, she was to be referred to as Tonks. Known for her legendary pranks, Nymphadora Tonks was probably the coolest Hufflepuff in Hogwarts history.

When she first planted her lips to Charlie's, they were in their third year. It was after a quidditch match and Gryffindor had just beat Hufflepuff. Charlie had pulled off the impossible and caught the snitch just as Hufflepuff had gotten ahead, securing the Quidditch cup for the year. He had just exited the showers and there she was waiting for him, smoking. When he'd come out she dropped her roach and put it out with the heel of her boot.

"Wotcher Charlie," She smiled at the sight of him,  
"Nice job today." She said sounding truly impressed.

"Thanks, Tonks," He grinned back.

They had been friends for a while at that point, meeting in the middle of their first year and becoming close at the beginning of their second. Charlie knew he liked her and knew that she liked him too except that neither of them was willing to admit their feelings before the other did, they both seemed to be hard-headed that way.

"So Bill kind of bet me to do something," She started, eyes trained on her Doc Martens. "And cause I accepted now I have to do it."

"Okay," Charlie responded with a furrow of his eyebrows. "Do you need me to help you pull a prank or,"

He had been cut off by the feeling of her lips against his. His eyes had widened and he stood in shocked silence before finally gathering his wits and kissing her back. They stood under the setting sun and Charlie would never tell her she was his first kiss but that was okay, she wouldn't tell him that he was hers either.

They dated on-and-off for a while after that. There were dates and "I love you's" and trips to Hogsmeade where all they did was snog in the back booth of The Three Broomsticks but it was enough. Tonks had been brought to meet the family on more than one occasion and though it had taken Molly some time to get used to the strange girl, his father and siblings loved her instantly.

When they had broken up for the last time it had been hard on the both of them. There was a deep love shared between them but eventually, love wasn't enough. It took a while and plenty of conversations where they had both been reduced to tears but in the end, they landed on friends. Tonks had become his best friend.

Angel Asghar had danced their way into Charlie's life, softly like a ballerina about to debut their rendition of the Nut Cracker. Their laugh could make walls crumble and lull dragons sleep. They left everyone enchanted, floating around the reserve and carrying themselves with a regalness that he'd never seen before and they belonged all to him.

Angel was non-binary. Charlie didn't know what that meant at first but he knew that he had developed feelings for his fellow dragon-tamer. It was with Angel that Charlie learned who he was, he learned what it was he wanted. It was with Angel he grew from the ashes of who he had forced himself to be for so long at Hogwarts.

It didn't take long for Charlie to realize he was pansexual after their first kiss.

The reserve had chosen to host a fireworks show for the workers, a good ways away enough that the noise wouldn't spook the dragons. Many people had brought tents and everyone was camped out in the woods, waiting for the show to begin.

Angel and Charlie have sat on a log away from the group, drinking some drink he couldn't even remember the name of because it was so long ago and it was hard for Charlie to focus on anything except for how beautiful that they were.

They had long chocolate locks that fell like waves of silk and almond-shaped hazel eyes that changed color in the Sun or in front of the fire. They had soft brown skin and pink, Cupid's Bow lips, and Charlie wanted so much to know what they felt like against his.

So when the fireworks had gone off and everyone else was too tied up in the light show to pay attention to what was going on in the back, he'd gathered up his courage and did something he had wanted to do for ages.

"I'm going to kiss you," He said. "And then I am going to keep you."

He pressed his lips against theirs, feeling electricity travel through his veins.

The pair had stayed together for some time after that. It wasn't always healthy and there were often arguments that revolved around things neither could control but what was control when you had a love that brought you to your knees? Angel had never met Charlie's family and Charlie had never met Angel's and that was just fine because what they had was for the two of them and nobody else.

Shortly afterward Charlie came out to his family. His siblings were first; Bill and Ginny at the front of the list, and they had all accepted him with open arms, Percy sharing with him that he was bisexual. When he had come out to his parent's things were slightly more difficult cause neither of them knew what pansexual meant and there had been a brief moment where Molly had undergone a panic attack at the thought her second child was sexually attracted to kitchen utensils but once it'd been cleared up they couldn't have been more supportive.

The break-up had nearly broken him. It came soon after the news of his father's attack at the Ministry of Magic when it became obvious to both he and Angel that a war was coming. The split was bitter sweet and they both cried the whole time, ending it with a kiss that felt like fire in their throats.

He'd been depressed for a very long time, swearing off love before Ginny had snapped him out of it. It had been during the middle of Christmas break during her 6th year when Ron, Star, Hermione, and Harry were already long gone. She busted into his room and pulled the covers from his body, screaming at him to get up and move on because love hurt and people leave but there's nothing anyone can bloody do about it but move on and he didn't know why she cried when she said it.

He didn't know at the time his baby sister had been crying over a blonde boy who'd turned her world view upside down but it didn't matter because they cried together that night.

Marcus Flint didn't explode his way into Charlie's life nor did he dance. The man had walked straight inside, opened the door, and entered as though he already had a key. He wasn't loud and he wasn't angelic, he was stoic and calculating; a Slytherin through and through. It was in the middle of the war when news had just broken about the disappearance of the Chosen One and Co. that Marcus had approached Kingsley and told him he wished to join The Order Of The Phoenix.

An interview ensued with Marcus under the influence of Veritserum and when asked why he wanted to join the Order his answer was simple enough; he owed it to Star. The subject hadn't been pushed and from that moment on Marcus became their double-agent. It was because of the information Flint provided them that they were able to turn the war around and regain control.

Charlie and Marcus didn't get along at first. Surprisingly Flint and Tonks had become close fast enough and their bond left Charlie with a strange taste in his mouth that he didn't enjoy. Perhaps it was the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor rivalry still crawling freshly underneath their skin but the pair didn't take too kindly to each other in the beginning.

It was only when Molly had slapped them both over the head and reminded them they were at war, not back at school did they decide it was finally time for the hatchet to be buried.

Afterward, they got along smashingly. They were often paired together on assignments and fought together during battle as though they were one, an extension of the other and using their skills to blast down Death Eaters left and right.

Charlie enjoyed Marcus's company, liked how calculating he was, and figured he had found the best mate to fight in this war together with. It wasn't until the Final Battle that Charlie was forced to face the true nature of his feelings.

It was nearing the end. Tonks and Remus had already fallen leaving Hermione sobbing over the body of her father and Charlie the body of his first love and greatest friend. Fred had nearly been crushed by a wall and Percy had returned to his family, apologizing for everything that had gone on the past few years and his abandonment of them. Ron had revealed that he was in a relationship with some Slytherin bird named Pansy Parkinson and Harry had set the Room of Requirement on fire. Star had kissed Bill in the middle of battle before disappearing and Ginny had kicked ass as he had never seen. George had been rescued from a group of Death Eaters by a Slytherin girl named Millicent Bulstrode and he had watched two Gryffindor blokes named Dean and Seamus confess their love to each other before they blew up the bloody bridge.

To say it was a shit show would be an understatement.

They'd been patrolling the grounds, looking for any more bodies. Charlie and Marcus had found themselves in an abandoned corridor near the dungeons, it was dark and deadly silent and Charlie could hear his own heart beating.

"This is the end," Marcus whispered.

Charlie's eyes drifted to his friend's and there was a moment of intense eye contact. Marcus wasn't a loud beauty like Tonks or a soft one like Angel. He wasn't a firecracker or a ballerina. Marcus had a strong jaw and soft ink-black hair. He had intense black eyes and red lips that stood boldly against his olive skin. His teeth had been fixed since their Hogwarts days and on the rare moments he chose to display his smile, Marcus could make the world stop spinning on its axis.

Marcus hadn't taken Charlie by surprise. He had walked through the door as though he already owned a key.

There were no words shared as they leaned towards each other slowly and it seemed as though the world had stopped spinning on its axis up until the moment their lips brushed together. The sun wasn't setting and there were no fireworks and this was the best first kiss that Charlie Weasley had ever had because his heart had exploded behind his eyes and his knees had grown weak and he was kissing Marcus Flint and neither of them had been the first one to brush lips because they lent in together.

Marcus had been hit with a curse not long after. He'd fallen straight to the floor and in a fit of red and blue and green sparks, Charlie had sent the Death Eater straight to his grave. Then he sat by Marcus's side and cried, spewing as many healing spells as he knew hoping to Merlin that there was still a chance for him.

There was still a chance for him because Marcus had opened his eyes.

When the war had ended and they had won, there was a lot to talk about between the men. It had taken a lot of push and pull but in the end, it was all that either of them wanted. They were polar opposites of course because Charlie was tanned and outgoing, bright and funny and Marcus was olive-toned and reserved, calculating and stoic and they fit together like two puzzle pieces made for each other.

Nymphadora Tonks had exploded her way right into his life like a rogue firecracker. Angel Asghar had danced their way into Charlie's life, softly like a ballerina about to debut their rendition of the Nut Cracker. Marcus Flint didn't explode his way into Charlie's life nor did he dance. The man had walked straight inside, opened the door, and entered as though he already had a key.

Charlie Weasley remembered his first love like he remembered the alphabet. He remembered his greatest heartbreak as he remembered his favorite song. He would remember this love like it was his own name.


	15. Teddy Lupin x James Potter; "Bright Pink"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a childhood loveeee storyyyyyy! 
> 
> The next chapter will be set during Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Star's school years. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think.

Teddy Lupin is 8-years-old when he gets made fun of for wearing his hair bright pink.

He was young when he learned that he could turn his hair different colors on a whim and it was his favorite thing to do since then, topped only by changing his features.

Often they would change on their own without him even thinking about it, it happened most when he was surrounded by his father's family and his hair would change into a fire-red, his eyes shifting into a light blue and freckles splattered across his face. When he was with his mum, his hair changed to match the mocha-brown color of her own and his eyes took on a whiskey color, their skin tones already matched and it made him happy that he and his mum had something in common he didn't have to change. Most of the time he kept his hair the shade of mocha-like his mum and eyes light blue like his dad, skin brown with a constellation of freckles.

But when he hears the stories of the brave people that sit in the photo that his mum keeps over the mantle place, the lady with bright pink hair and a man with scars on his face, he allows his hair to shift from its mocha brown to a bright pink and eyes green like the man with all the scars. He finds that his ears are pointy like the man in the picture and that he and the woman have the same heart-shaped face. Mummy says that it's because they're his parents, the man with the scars both his father and hers. 

When he asks if he can still call her mummy her eyes fill with tears but she tells him that 'Of course' he can because she will always be his mummy and Fred will always be his dad. On the nights that Teddy cannot sleep, he makes his way to his parent's room and crawls in their bed where they tell him amazing renditions of the people in the pictures and he finds that he would've quite liked to meet them.

It was the middle of summer and the sky stood ablaze, high in the sky. He and his family had all gathered at the Burrow for a lunch in the garden to celebrate something; he assumed it was the fact that his Aunt Pansy's stomach had been exceptionally round lately, much like it had been before she had brought home Pharaoh from St. Mungos.

The younger kids, his siblings; Remus II, George II, and Hera II, James's siblings; Albus II, Ronald II, and Rubeus II, Asani's siblings; Minerva II and newly born twins Lavender II and Blaise II, Alice II's younger sisters; Colette and Victoire, Petra's brother; Pharaoh, and Aunt Ginny and Aunt Draco's kids; Scorpius and Lyra were all back at the house playing in the old nursery that his Grandpa Arthur had made for them whenever they visited. The older kids; James, Petra, Asani, Alice, Sirius, Osiris, Isis, and himself, made their way down to the outskirt of the woods by the village to play.

Both Ronald and Rubeus had been invited to join but Ronald had wanted to take a nap and Rubeus wanted to help Grandma Molly with lunch.

They had been met by a group of village kids that they wanted to play with. James and Asani, being the bravest of the group, were pushed forward to ask if they could join in their games. The village kids agreed and so began the rest of their afternoon. In the middle of playing Kingdom, one of the children had pointed out Teddy's pink hair.

Soon the rest of the village children joined in, pointing it out and poking fun at its bright color. One of the girls had called it obnoxious. Teddy felt his face turn bright red in embarrassment and his eyes filled with tears at being ridiculed.

They didn't know he turned his hair pink to match the woman in the pictures. They didn't know why his Uncle Charlie and Auntie Star had broken down into ugly sobs the first time they saw him sporting it when he was three.

It was only when one of the bigger boys had pushed Teddy to the ground did his honorary cousins realize what was going on and the group quickly jumped into action.

So began the legendary battle of St. Ottery Catchpole's hill. In the end, the village kids had been banged up and his cousins stood in front of him, blocking him from their view and each sporting a fierce look.

Several of the kids were covered in bite marks which he knew meant Asani and Sirius had gotten to them. Petra had done accidental magic and turned the girl who had called his hair obnoxious own locks of what had been golden blonde hair into snakes. James had gone ahead and punched the boy who pushed Teddy right in the face, leaving him with a black eye. Alice had tackled one girl to the ground, ruining the pink dress her mother had put her in for the picnic, and left her with scratch marks. Isis and Osiris had pushed a pair of kids right into a large tree.

When they were being chastised by their parents for the barbaric behavior they'd displayed, the adults were only met by Alice's insistence of; "Zat gurl vas only lucky I did not 'ave a rock."

"I could've given him two black eyes if you hadn't pulled me off," James stated stubbornly, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"We didn't even draw blood," Osiris started.

"And we could've," Isis finished for her twin brother.

That caused Uncle George and Teddy's dad to snicker but they were silenced by a smack on the arm from Aunt Millie.

"They were making fun of Teddy!" Petra cried outraged.

"We have no regrets," Asani and Sirius stated together, nonchalantly.

"All of Ju," Aunt Fluer started, rubbing her temple in frustration. "Up ze stairs now."

So they went, marching like a band of soldiers, at the tail end stood Teddy, and right as they rounded the corner to head up the stairs he could've sworn he saw the adults fighting small smiles and looking in their direction.

Later that evening Teddy sits alone in the kitchen, munching slowly on a cookie from the plate that his Granda Molly had set out after lunch was through. The adults were all in the sitting room and the children all upstairs but Teddy sat alone. The creak of floorboards alerted him of someone's presence and fear struck him quickly before he turned and realized that it was only James.

"Hey," Teddy mumbled, turning back to his cookie.

"Turn it back," James stated, voice sounding hard.

Teddy's brow furrowed in confusion and he turned back to face the boy. James's body was stiff, his fist curled and face set with a deep frown, and his brown eyes lit with frustration.

"What?" Teddy asked.

"Your hair," James started. "Turn it back."

This only furthers Teddy's confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

James huffs in exasperation and grabs a spoon from the table. He turns it and shoves it into Teddy's face so that he's forced to meet his own reflection. He's wearing his mother's whiskey-colored eyes and his hair the color of straw. It was his natural color.

"I want you to change it back now," James stated forcefully.

"Why," Teddy asks bitterly. "So you can make fun of me too?"

James frown deepens and he throws the spoon back onto the table.

"Those guys were assholes," He whispers. "And I think you look nice with pink hair."

Teddy's eyes snap up quickly and he is met with James looking hard at him. Under the intensity of the other boy's gaze, Teddy can't help but blush and can't help his hair from turning bright pink. James grins at that and Teddy relishes at the sight. He decided then to keep his hair pink more often.

Teddy Lupin is 10-years-old when he has his first kiss.

As per usual, the Burrow is packed to the brim on Christmas Eve night for dinner with the family. All the children are allowed outside after eating to play in the snow with their daddies, and Aunt Ginny.

Hera, now two-years-old, was scooped into their father's arms and shrieking with glee whenever a snowflake fell onto her face. The twins; Remus II and George II, ran rampant throughout the snow, teamed up with Osiris and Isis to throw snowballs at whoever was unlucky enough to cross their path. Uncle Neville was making snow angels with Colette and Victoire who yelled out in disdain whenever Pharaoh would shove snowballs into the hoods of their jackets. Persephone, now a year-and-a-half old, gave unimpressed stares at the scenes unfolding in front of her, watching from in her father's arms atop the broom they sat on which Uncle Ron made sure never went more than a few feet off the ground at Aunt Pansy's insistence. Minerva II rode around on Uncle Bill's shoulders trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue whilst Uncle Oliver and Uncle Charlie were both trying to help Blaise and Lavender make what looked like a very deformed snowman. Scorpius and Lyra were both on hover brooms, chasing each other around whilst Aunt Ginny and Uncle Draco ran after them and baby Narcissa II sat in Uncle Marcus's lap and watched with wide eyes from the floor. Uncle Harry could be seen helping Ronald II, Sirius II, Alice II, and Rubeus II build their snow castle which was coming out pretty good for a quartet of 7-year-olds and one Chosen One.

The newborns were all inside. Uncle Harry and Auntie Luna's new twins; Leon and Lily and Uncle Percy and Uncle Oliver's new baby girl; Katie.

Petra and Asani were inside with the mother's and Uncle Percy, having refused to come out to the cold. Asani gave claims that she had just gotten her hair done and she wasn't about to risk the blow-out to play in the snow while Petra just stated it was far too cold. So the girl's stayed up in the attic, wrapped in a blanket that Grandma Molly had knitted, drinking hot cocoa and watching an old VHS movie on the Muggle TV that Aunt Star and his mum had gifted Grandpa Arthur with last Christmas.

That left James and himself all alone downstairs to find something to do. In all honesty, Teddy hadn't really wanted to go outside either but rather stay in and read the book his Uncle Charlie had gifted him on dragons except James had dragged the boy outside.

With nothing to do, they made their way to the creek, picking stones up and making wishes on them before tossing them onto the frozen creek, seeing if one could get the ice to crack. Once that had gotten boring, which didn't take long, the boys made their way to the old willow tree and stood under it.

Teddy was quickly fascinating with the way that the branches dropped low and the small icicles that hung from the tips. The snow on the floor and sitting on the branches made the place look like a winter wonderland when paired with the fairy lights his Uncle Bill had strung around the trunk.

"Look at this!" James cried, stealing Teddy's attention from the branches.

"What?" Teddy asked, making his way over to where James stood.

"It's your parent's names," James exclaimed and he was right.

Carved into the trunk of the old willow tree was 'F.W + H.L' in a heart. Realization struck Teddy and he concluded that this was their tree, the one his mum mentioned every time she told the story of when his dad kissed her for the first time.

"This is where they had their first kiss," Teddy told him.

There was silence for a while. Teddy, as usual, is oblivious to the looks that James is giving him, too wrapped up in the sight of his parent's carvings.

"Teddy," He hears James call and turns his head to see what it is his friend wants.

His throat catches when he sees James has been looking at him and he can't tell if the pink in his face is from the cold or embarrassment, but why would he be embarrassed? As far as Teddy could tell, he hadn't done anything embarrassing.

But the lights made James's blue eyes sparkle and his dark hair look like the night sky. But before he could stop himself, Teddy found himself leaning in because James was leaning in too and it seemed like neither of them could stop it when their lips met and fire spread through his chest. But Teddy couldn't help but remember that time when they were five and James had announced to the entire family that he was going to marry Teddy when they were old enough and Uncle Harry had muttered something about his son being too young to date before Aunt Star had smacked him over the head. But Teddy really liked the feeling blooming in his chest. But Teddy is glad he didn't stay inside reading about dragons. But Teddy's hair is bright pink now.

Teddy Lupin is 11-years-old when he heads off to Hogwarts for the first time.

He's standing with his family amongst the crowd of people at Platform 9 3/4, doing his best to ignore the stares that he felt coming his way because they were always stared at when they went out in public. It was what happens when your parents are war heroes.

His mum has got tears in her eyes and he can tell that she's trying her very hardest not to cry when she pulls him into her arms.

"I'm going to miss you so much," She whispers into his ear and Teddy can feel his own eyes welling up with tears.

"I'll miss you too mum." He responds, melting into the embrace.

Hera has her arms wrapped around his leg and with tear-filled eyes and a pink nose begs him not to go. His dad bends down to pick up the small girl and hands her over to their mum before bringing him in for a hug as well.

"Give them hell for me," He jokes before coming to whisper in Teddy's hair. "I'm so proud of you."

Next are the twins and they're almost too stubborn to admit that they'll miss their older brother but he's their older brother and they'll miss him undoubtedly so they attach themselves to him quickly.

"Remember to write," Remus warns.

"Every week." George finished.

Petra is also on the platform. Much like Hera had to him, Pharaoh had attached himself to her leg and refused to let go until he was pulled off by Aunt Pansy. Persephone sat in Uncle Ron's arms and stubbornly refused to look at her, angry at her older sister for leaving. But when Pansy had announced it was finally time for Petra to board the train, Persephone's resolve crumbled and she had burst into tears, launching herself into her sister's arms and sobbing that she didn't want her to leave.

James seemed to be having the most trouble. He was being clutched tightly by his mother at this point and while Auntie Luna was tiny, she was strong. It was when the boy's face began to turn purple that Uncle Harry finally pried his wife away and turned to give his son a hug. Ronald and Rubeus stood beside their father, pouting over not yet being able to go to Hogwarts,

"We have to wait another two years,"  
"It isn't fair!"

But still, they each gave their older brother a hug good-bye. Albus held to his mother's hand and watched with tear-stained eyes as his oldest brother began his journey towards abandoning him, or at least that's what he called it. The second set of twins; Leon and Lily seemed to have resolved their problems by concluding that if they each sat on one of James's shoes that he wouldn't be able to leave.

Auntie Star was in full-on tears but that was fine because so was Asani. The pair cried lightly to themselves as they clutched each other close, neither wanting to let go. Star whispered something in Asani's ear before the pair broke apart and it was Asani's turn to hug her father who looked equally heartbroken to see his little girl go.

They shared a hug before Uncle Bill placed a kiss on her forehead and they broke apart. Asani had barely been free for a second before she was barreled into by her younger siblings. Sirius had latched himself to her back, Minerva her front, Lavender her left leg, and Blaise her right.

"Oh you've got to be joking," She groaned and her parents laughed to themselves from where they stood watching the show.

"You'll forget us!" Minerva cried into her sister's chest which only made Lavender sob harder from her place on the floor.

"I won't forget you!" Asani insisted, wanting to be freed from her sibling's python grip.

"She's lying," James teased, making her way over with his family and Petra with hers. Teddy already stood alongside them with his own. "She'll go and forget all about you lot."

"Piss off Potter." Asani hissed, eyes narrowed into a glare.

"You wish Zabini," James laughed but was silenced with a smack upside the head from Petra.

With the work of all the adults, they'd managed to pry Asani free and in the midst of the chaos, Teddy felt James grab his hand and give it a squeeze. They shared a small smile before the moment was interrupted by the sound of the train whistling.

"Well," Uncle Bill exclaimed. "It's time."

"Oh, Gods," Teddy's mum started, burying her face into his dad's chest.

"It's okay 'Mione," He smiled slightly and began to rub circles into her back, doing his best to reassure his wife. "They're just growing up is all."

This sent his Auntie's Luna and Pansy into a wailing fest, Luna grabbing hold of James once more and Pansy planting her face firmly into Ron's shoulder.

"Nice one Fred," Ron deadpanned.

"Luna love," Harry cooed, doing his best to once again pry his wife from their son. "It really is time for them to board."

"Oh alright," She sniffled, pulling apart and looking at James with tear-stained eyes. "Remember to write every two days and if the Whackspurts still bother you even with the beer capped necklace you let me know and we'll send some more right away."

"Okay mum," James replied softly with a small smile.

The quartet boarded the train together, doing their best to ignore the stares because they always came whenever they were out in public with their parents. There was a lot of pressure riding on them and they knew that.

They were the firstborn of the next generation. They were the children born of war. It was their job to make history just as their parents had.

The thought was terrifying and fear struck Teddy deep in his heart as he looked out onto the train platform through the window of their compartment.

The scarlet locomotive began to pull away from the station and he watched as their parent's shifted into their Animagi. Star; a large black dog, Harry; a stag, Ron; a brown Jack Russel Terrier and his mum; a crow. As a group they ran after the train with their younger siblings following, chasing it until it disappeared completely from view.

There wasn't any denying that they were scared. You can only be scared when you walk blindly into the next chapter of your life with almost no one around to guide you but a bunch of other people your age that don't know what they're doing either.

But then James gave his hand a small squeeze and shared with him a smile he often saw his dad pass to his mother from across the kitchen table or whenever she became exasperated with him or when she had fallen asleep on the couch with a book on her chest, it suddenly felt like things were going to be okay. He didn't even notice his hair had turned bright pink.


	16. Harry Potter x Star Black; "His Star""

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *** Chapter from "They'll Tell Our Stories" ***

Harry Potter was a famous name in the wizarding world. He was known all over as The-Boy-Who-Lived, the slayer of the Basilisk, the heir of Pervell, and the son of James and Lily Potter.

Except that to Star Black; he was Harold. It was a nickname that had started in their first year because; "I refuse to call you Harry, I absolutely refuse."

But it had stuck.

On the days he'd really managed to piss her off he was Harold James and Godric's ghost was that one hundred times worse. Harry detested the nickname, she would only every throw it at him when they were in the middle of an argument and it never failed to sidetrack him, distracting him from whatever he had been planning to yell at her next.

Obviously, he'd asked her to stop, and obviously, she hadn't but no one really expected her to because, well it was Star.

Eventually, Harry had given in to the nicknames though he'd made it clear only she was allowed to call him as such and that anyone else who attempted to do so would be hexed off the face of the Earth.

Not her of course; not his Star.

It was common knowledge that the pair were as thick as thieves, much like their fathers had been. Wherever you saw Harry, you'd see Star and vise-versa and it was just a fact. He was almost sure that whatever souls were made of; theirs were the same.

Even if Star hadn't always been sure Harry had known since his second year that the girl was his soulmate; platonic or otherwise. The deal had been sealed when she ran towards him and launched herself into his arms with eyes filled with tears only to pull away and yell at him for going down to the Chamber Of Secrets without her, ranting about how he could've been killed.

Over the years they grew together; thick as thieves, twin flames, soulmates, and any other title you could slap on a bond so powerful you could feel their love for one another radiating off of them. They'd have died for one another.

The Battle of Hogwarts was an almost cathartic experience for the pair. Their entire lives had been leading up to this moment and they'd both lost so much along the way but it all ended here.

Upon leaving Dumbledore's office after witnessing Snape's memories in the pensive and being made aware of what he finally had to do; he'd run into Ron and Hermione.

They looked a mess and we're soaking wet but both held beaming smiles and shared with him that they'd successfully managed to destroy Helga Hufflepuff's cup down in the Chamber. Their smiles dropped when he informed them of his mission. The pair of them protested but in the end, they knew that there was nothing that could be done and so the trio shared one last hug before going their separate ways; Hermione to help round up any more bodies and Ron to find Pansy.

The last moment Harry and Star shared before his death was ultimately beautiful.

His head was a complete wreck and he couldn't tie one thought down after the news he'd just learned.

Only a moment prior, Luna Lovegood pulled him into an abandoned classroom away from all the fighting going on inside the halls of Hogwarts to tell him that she was pregnant and the baby was his.

She'd told him that she'd loved him since she was fourteen and that she didn't regret the year they spent together before he'd broken up with her at Dumbledore's funeral and that she didn't regret the night they spent together at Shell Cottage after he'd rescued her from Malfoy Manor and that no matter what happened from here until the end of the battle, she would always love him.

Then she kissed him as he had never been kissed before only to have disappeared before he could open his eyes. He didn't have time to tell her that he'd always love her too because she was gone, right back into the middle of the war and he knew that it was truly time for it all to end.

It hadn't occurred to him until later that Luna had already known what he was planning to do when he'd left Dumbledore's office. Regardless, it was time for it to end because he wanted his child to be born in a world without fear.

He made his way, he'd ran, through the corridors and just as he made his way past the Great Hall he saw her.

His Star.

Her hair was a mess, it had fallen from her bun and the obsidian curls fell in her face and around her shoulders, the grime on her face and the blood on her clothes, and the fierce look in her eye made her look like a fallen angel and that was what he was convinced she was, a fallen angel.

When their eyes met she ran to him and in a split second, it was like he was back in his second year, watching her run towards him with the same tears welling in her steel Grey eyes before she threw herself into his arms and clutched him as though he were the only thing keeping her alive.

"Luna," He'd croaked, only now realizing how dry his throat had become. "She's pregnant."

Star tore her face from the crook of his neck, arms still firmly clasped around him and his arms mimicking hers around her torso, to meet his eyes.

Her face was one of shock, his one of determination and he knew she knew. She always knew. More tears welled in her eyes and she didn't stop them from escaping as they rolled down her cheeks quickly but she only nodded, she knew she couldn't stop him.

"I'll go with you." She'd croaked back and he didn't know whether his heart had expanded or shattered.

They both knew what she was offering, the words were there hidden underneath what she'd just said.

"I'll die with you." Harry couldn't stop the tears that welled in his eyes either and let them fall as freely as she had.

It should've shocked him but it didn't because of course, she'd said it, she was Star. She was brave, she had always been braver than him. She didn't want him to die alone, he was her twin flame.

"This is one thing I have to do myself." He forced a chuckle but there was no humor in what was truly being said.

This was their goodbye.

Star closed her eyes and took a raspy breath before forcing them open and peering into his own, "I love you, Harold James." And it was the clearest he'd ever heard her.

"I love you too, Star Savannah."

They stayed that way for a beat, the world still falling to ashes around them. She didn't want to let him go.

"Take care of Luna for me," He paused and closed his eyes. "In case I don't - the baby,"

She cradled the back of his neck and rested her forehead against his.

"I've got your back Prongs." He was the James to her Sirius.

"Forever and always Padfoot." She was the Sirius to his James.

Then he left. They broke apart and without looking back the two turned in separate directions, they had different battles to fight.

One of his last thoughts, before he'd died at the hands of the darkest wizard to ever live, was that he hoped she found happiness, hoped she'd find peace.

His Star.

He heard her scream first after Voldemort had announced his death to the entirety of Hogwarts. It nearly split his heart in two, it was bone-chilling and blood-curdling and he wanted nothing more than to run to her, tell her that he was okay but he couldn't, he had to stay put, he had to win this; for her, for Hermione, for Ron, for Luna, for his child.

In the end, they'd won. Draco had thrown him the wand and Harry Potter fought against and defeated The Dark Lord and he'd fallen like the mortal he'd tried so hard not to be.

Star had run to him, tears in her eyes, and hugged him tighter than he had ever been hugged and then proceeded to pull away and scream at him and he'd laughed because despite all the time that had passed she hadn't changed and probably never would. He'd never want her too, she was his Star.

He'd go on to marry Luna, the love of his mortal and eternal life. They'd have 6 kids; James Sirius, Rubeus Lysander, Ronald Lorcan, Albus Severus, Leon Xenophilius, and Lily Pandora Star Potter. They'd have fourteen grandkids and an uncountable amount of nieces and nephews, they'd live a life he never dreamed he'd ever lived long enough to live.

Throughout the years he and Star continued their bond and stuck by each other's side through everything life had managed to throw at them. Marriages and kids and work and grandkids and everything else; they'd kept each other grounded.

They were twin flames, she was his Star.


	17. Pansy Parkinson x Percy Weasley; "Favorite"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of sexual assault
> 
> Set 1 year and a half post-final battle

"Percy?" Pansy called out but her voice only echoed throughout the flat.

The place was in ruins. There were broken dishes all over the floor and furniture turned over, the television had fallen from its stands and one wall had scorch marks on it.

Pansy stepped from the fireplace and walked carefully amongst the wreckage, waving her wand as she went to clear the path before her, there was no use risking cutting her feet on a piece of broken glass. It would've been her fault if she had, she was the one who hadn't put on any shoes.

News traveled fast in the Weasley family so when Oliver told Charlie who told Bill who told Ginny who told her; she'd rushed over straight away, not bothering to change from her pajamas or do her hair or even put on shoes. She'd dropped Petra right into Ron's arms and ran right into the floo. She wore only a pair of Ron's boxers and his old Chudley Cannon's t-shirt, her hair thrown into a sloppy ponytail at the top of her head.

There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, Petra had come down with the most awful fever and wouldn't stop screaming at night until the sun came up and as a result, neither she nor Ron would be allowed a full night's rest.

"Percival Weasley," Pansy repeated, louder this time.

There was a whimper from around the corner and her heart broke at the sound. She turned the bend and was met with the sight of her friend; sat on the floor with messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and a bottle of Odin's Fire whiskey in his hand that looked to be about half empty.

"Percy," Pansy repeated but it came out in more of a whisper this time.

"I messed it all up," He cracked back, not meeting her eye but looking out into oblivion just past her leg. "He's gone now."

Pansy's heart broke a little more. All she'd heard from Ginny was that Oliver and Percy had broken up, she wasn't given a reason why. It had happened last night and Oliver had left their flat with all of his clothes.

He was currently crashing at Charlie's place, a flat in Hogsmeade for whenever he was back from Romania and didn't want to stay with his parents.

The flat had become something of a honing point, whenever anyone in the group was having issues with their partners or needed to get away, they'd stay at the flat. Whoever was there last would restock the fridge, clean the place up, and set it back up for the next person who would crash there. Everyone chipped in for rent.

But what Pansy couldn't figure out was that if Percy knew where Oliver was, why hadn't he already gone after him?

She'd only known the couple for about a year, since the Final Battle when Molly had welcomed her into the family. Pansy and Percy had grown quite close in the short time finding that they both understood what it was like to be the black sheep, the sore thumb on a seemingly perfect hand.

He had helped a lot with Petra in the earlier days and she found a place in her heart growing soft for the man and his boyfriend. They were some of her favorite people by far and she always thought that they worked quite well together. They were both smart, handsome, and funny, both ambitious albeit about different things and they supported each other in any endeavor.

It seemed obvious that they would last forever. Which is why it came as such a big shock when news broke of their split.

Had the media already gotten a hold of this, Pansy wasn't sure. There had been hounds following almost every person of the Order of The Phoenix since the war had ended. Not only had both Percy and Oliver famously helped in the final battle but Oliver was well-known for his being keeper of the Puddlemere United Quidditch team and Percy for his high-status job at the Ministry of Magic.

She was sure that as soon as it hit the streets, the newspapers would rip them to shreds more specifically Rita Skeeter, the blood-thirsty cow.

"What happened?" Pansy asked, crouching in front of him now.

She couldn't help if she didn't know what was going on. She couldn't fix it if she didn't know.

"Everything got destroyed," Percy started, words slurred and eyes losing their glassy look to meet her own. "I broke down and my magic tore the place apart."

Blue met brown and there was no question that he was still drunk. She'd rarely seen him drunk and the sight was tear-jerking. He looked so heartbroken, so drained. He always looked so full of life with Oliver around.

"He asked me to marry him," Percy croaked.

Pansy was nearly knocked flat on her ass. The statement smashed into her like a gust of strong wind and she knew her eyes had widened significantly without her approval. Her mouth felt dry and her head was spinning because what?

"What?" She voiced out loud.

Percy nodded gravely.

"He asked me to marry him," He repeated. "And I said no."

A swig from the bottle was taken. By this point, Pansy was choking on her own spit.

She saw the way Oliver looked at Percy. It was the same way that Percy looked at Oliver. It was the same way that Molly looked at Arthur and Arthur looked at Molly. Hell, it was the way that Harry looked at Luna and Luna at Harry and Charlie at Marcus and Marcus at Charlie. They looked at each other in love.

Percy had even admitted to her one night, one of the rare occasions that they were both drunk, that he could look at Oliver and see a home, he could look at Oliver and see love that he never thought possible for him before. He said no? He said no to the person he had admitted turned his world? They were the great love story, they were each other's balance. He'd said no?

"D'you knows that I don't even like fire whiskey," Percy started again, looking at the bottle in his hand and no longer at Pansy. "Never been crazy about the taste. But this is what Oliver and I had been drinking the night that he kissed me for the first time."

Pansy stood in silence.

"I still have the bottle," Percy commented, looking up at Pansy with a small smile on his face.

"Why did you say no?" She whispered and his smile dropped once again.

Tears filled Percy's eyes but she could tell that this hadn't been his first time crying that day. This was the messiest she'd ever seen him and there had been a time they both woke up on the roof of the Burrow after drinking too much at Fred and Hermione's engagement party the night before.

No one had any recollection of that night and neither of them knew how they'd managed to get up to the roof when they were both afraid of heights and refused to get on brooms.

There were bags under his eyes too and his lips were cracked, his skin looking washed out. Pansy was vaguely reminded of her sixth year when Draco had roamed the castle looking like a ghost for reasons she wouldn't know until much later.

"I'm afraid," Percy admitted and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Of what?"

"I'm nobody's favorite," He whispered, staring straight into Pansy's eyes now. "But I've always been Ollie's favorite."

Pansy said nothing.

"I'm afraid that he's going to wake up one day and decide that I'm not his favorite anymore," A tear ran down his freckled cheek. "And I can't live in a world where I've pushed him to the point of hating me."

"Percy," She started.

"I'm not good enough for him," He interrupted, croaking out the sentence like he was revealing a piece of his broken heart.

Pansy blinked. This wasn't something that she could fix.

She liked being in control, enjoyed things to be done at her way and her pace, and often she thought that she could do or fix anything. Pansy couldn't fix this and the realization settled on her chest with the weight of an elephant. Her friend was in pain and she couldn't do anything to help him.

It was like she was being dragged back in time, back to when Draco had taken the Dark Mark, when he had been tasked to kill Dumbledore and shut out the world, refusing to open up to her. It was like she was being dragged back in time to when she had received news that her mother had died, delivering Petra. It was like those times her father had touched her in places a father should never touch their daughter in the dead of night. It was so much like all the nights she laid awake crying because war was knocking at the door and Ron had disappeared and everything was going wrong.

All of those times she'd felt so bloody helpless. It was how Percy was feeling now.

The dishes could be repaired. The television could be picked up and placed back on its mantle, the wall replaced or wiped clean of the scorch mark with a wave of her wand. The furniture could be put back and it all could be done with a smile while music played in the background, she could do it all herself and convince herself that she was making it better, she was helping him.

But she couldn't fix what had actually happened. She couldn't mend the crack in the foundation of the house that Percy and Oliver had built together with their love and it nearly killed her to know she would have to watch her friend suffer because of something that she couldn't do.

So Pansy crawled closer to him and sat in his lap, curling into his chest. His chin fell onto the top of her head as she pried the bottle of fire whiskey from his hands and took a sip herself, allowing the burning feeling to trickle down her throat and make her feel something other than tired or numb which she seemed to feel so much when she wasn't with Ron or Percy or Petra.

She allowed the whiskey to caress her cheek, let the warmness envelope her and lull her into a world where foundations in houses built from love were not cracked and where baby sisters didn't get sick, and where couples didn't fight and crash at a lonely flat in Hogsmeade.

They passed the bottle between them, wallowing in their sorrows. Life was so hard, growing up was so hard and deep down they were scared children fumbling their way through the darkness trying to find out what was wrong and what was right. They'd fought in the war, they'd paid the price and they had lost people.

It was supposed to be okay now, it should've been okay now.

Everything should've been perfect and there should be no more tears or waking up in the middle of the night screaming because a nightmare had grabbed you or still being afraid to go to certain places or still being afraid of the dark because that was where your father used to grab you or sleeping with your wand under your pillow because you'll never know who's going to bust through your door at night.

But it didn't work that way because here they were, on the floor drinking.

Percy was still the black sheep of his family, years of insecurities having created a wall built so high that even Oliver couldn't climb over it no matter how hard he tried and Godric had he tried.

He still felt too difficult to love, too thoroughly fucked up for someone like Oliver Wood to love him because Oliver was so good and he deserved a non-dysfunctional person, someone who could actually believe it when told that they were loved.

Someone who wasn't afraid that the love of their life would wake up hating them one day. Because he was Percy and he wasn't anyone's favorite.

So he'd sit here with his hollow heart and tear-stained face, drinking fire whiskey to remind him of the night when Oliver had first kissed him.

It seemed like a century ago. When they were both kids, untouched by the horrors of life and the reality of everything truly wrong with them, and when a kiss could solve all of their problems. Even now that they were older and Percy would still get so stressed over the silliest things because it didn't matter how much it seemed he had relaxed, he was still Percy, a kiss from Oliver could soothe his nerves or make him feel like things were going to be okay.

Oliver always made everything feel okay again. But he had thrown it all away because he was scared, so scared. His mother had always told him that if he loved something, he should set it free but that was usually about old toys or clothes he hadn't yet wanted to give up but that needed to be passed down to Fred or George or Ron.

He had set Oliver free. Because Oliver deserved better than him.

Because Percy was scared and messed up and had too many walls built up and not even Oliver could climb that high.

Because Percy Weasley wasn't anyone's favorite.

"Hey Percy," Pansy whispered, an almost empty bottle clutched in her hand and head still resting on his bare chest. They hadn't moved from their place on the floor and wouldn't for a while. "You're my favorite."


	18. Author's Note

This story is now on Wattpad!

It is under the same name, under the account of mentallillnessbutsexy

It contains pictures of how I depict the cast and has undergone more editing than these chapters. Personally, I believe that the Wattpad version is better. 

I will continue to update this story as well as the one on Wattpad.

New chapter coming soon.


	19. Marcus Flint x Charlie Weasley; "Letter To You"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set post war.

Perhaps I'll never find the words to explain the feeling that blossoms inside of me whenever I feel your skin on mine or your lips pressed against me but I'll do my best to try because you deserve that much.

You saved me as I was drowning and for that, I should be eternally grateful.

My entire life I'd been locked inside a room with only a single window. There were no lights, no furniture save for the bed and my window, the one where the moon would appear in front of each night to illuminate the sky and remind me that though I was still breathing, I wasn't actually living.

You broke the window and flew me away from the room on your broom where you sat behind me with your arms wrapped tight and whispered to me that I was safe until we landed. You saved me and for that, I should be eternally grateful.

I'd never had a favorite color before I met you. But one day we sat in the back of the Three Broomsticks chugging butterbeer and you had asked me what it was and I told you to guess and you shouted "Yellow"

So happily that who was I to disagree? I see yellow in everything now.

I see yellow in your eyes when you look at me.

There are about 26 letters in the English language and about a million different ways I could rearrange them but they'll never be enough to tell you how much you mean to me.

You aren't my first love but you manage to be the one to make all others irrelevant.

Because it didn't matter where my first kiss was or the song I danced to the night I told someone else I loved them for the first time because it all sort of went away when I laid eyes on you.

I've never actually told you any of this but I figure it's never too late and that's why I should do it now. Should I lose you I'd rather not have the darkest parts of me go unread but if they were to be read it should only be by you.

You always managed to shine a light on the darkest corners of me.

I'm not a soft love like the one you probably deserve, I take up too much space and there are too many sharp corners on me but you never minded them. You never tried to smooth them out. You loved me with all the space I took up and I feel so soft when I'm with you.

Listening to you ramble is my favorite thing. You talk so fast when you're excited I can hardly comprehend what you're saying but it doesn't really matter much because your lips are moving at the speed of lightning and there's a brightness in your eyes that says everything I can hardly comprehend.

When you say you love me, you mean it.

You don't say it because you feel that you have to or because you want something from me. You love me because you mean it and you love that I can't find enough words to describe everything you are to me but that I try anyway and that I've never been soft or small but when I'm with you I feel soft and I don't quite mind all the space I take up anymore.

There are skeletons in my closet but you sort of walked right in, threw the doors open, and tossed them all out. You did it with a smile on your face as you whistled a tune that gets stuck in my head whenever I miss you.

I always miss you.

Your mother says that I'm lovestruck.

She says that I watch you with the same look in my eye that she gets whenever she looks at Arthur and it makes me happy whenever she does.

It makes me happy that she thinks we share a love so great it can build a home large enough for our own kids and their friends.

I love your family as much as I love you.

Because your brothers have become my brothers and your parents, mine and I've never had a mother that knitted me a sweater every Christmas or a father who brought me home trinkets from work that he saw and figured that I would like. Your sisters have become my sisters and they sit beside me and listen to my problems when I have them and they care about me.

Your family cares about me.

And you're proud of me. You're oh so proud of me that you hold my hand when we leave the house and you introduce me with the biggest grin on your face because I'm yours and I am so much yours.

Because I've never had someone be so proud of me before.

You don't treat me like a weapon, you aren't scared of me, and don't yield me before you in battle. You don't use me for destruction or associate me with war. I'm delicate in your strong hands and you treat me as a flower you're too afraid to crush and it brings tears to my eyes every time you use your hands on me because you remind me that I am not a weapon. You remind me I am not made for destruction and to be scared of, you convince me life is not only a war to be fought.

I am Icarus but you are not the sun. You will not burn me if I get too close, you will not melt my wings. You are the ocean. The waves that caught me and brought me home to a place of peace, one where I was not in danger of being burned or scarred or imprisoned. You are the waves that gave a new life to the world of death.

Who am I to question such a blessing when it falls into my lap and allows me to be brought to new heights?

I've been scared to wake up on a day and realize that you don't love me any longer.

Because what will I do if my waves aren't there to catch me and your mother isn't there to knit me sweaters and tease me about how much I love you and your sisters aren't there to listen to my problems and brothers aren't there to go head to head with me on the Quidditch field outside of your house? What will I do if I wake one day and you aren't proud of me and you don't want to make me feel soft anymore? Will the skeletons pile up in the closet once more without you tossing them out? Will the color yellow stop seeming so inviting? Will the darkest parts of me remain dark and closed away, never to be seen or loved or enlightened?

I've reasoned that surely I would go mad. I would lose all that is good within me because you are all that is good within me.

Because you are the waves that are there to catch me and it is your mother who knits me sweaters and teases about how much I love you and your sisters who listen to my problems and your brothers who go head to head with me on the field. Because you are proud of me and make me feel soft and toss the skeletons out from my closet and the color yellow is good enough for me to live in now. The darkest parts of me are no longer dark and they're out in the open for you to examine and love and bring to life with your lips and your hands and that bloody smile of yours that could bring armies to their knees.

I am the army, on my knees.

You've turned a soldier into a lover and it remains your greatest feat yet.

You rescued me from that small and empty room with only the window and bed and moon that would illuminate the sky every night to remind me that I was breathing but not really living. With you, I live.

Perhaps I'll never find the words to explain the feeling that blossoms inside of me whenever I feel your skin on mine or your lips pressed against me but I'll do my best to try because you deserve that much.

Yours, Marcus


	20. Hermione Lupin x Theodore Nott; "The Werewolf's Daughter"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during The Half-Blood Prince.

“I kind of hate you,” She whispered. “Did you know that?”

A small grin spread across his face because he did know that. When he turned his head to look at her instead of the sky, her eyes were twinkling.

“Yeah,” He admitted. “It never really mattered though, did it?”

A frown settled onto her face. 

“Why did it never matter?” She asked.

“Because for every ounce of hate you have for me,” He began, turning his head to look back up at the glass ceiling that exposed the night to them. “Equates to a year that I’ve loved you.”

Her frown deepened now. Why did he have to say stuff like that? She hated when he said stuff like that.

“Theo,” She called, it was meant to be a reprimand but it never really came across that way. She could never really reprimand him.

“Hermione,” Was all he offered, not yet meeting her eyes. 

It was cold that night, up in the Astronomy Tower. The castle was asleep and the wind whistled through every open window, freezing the stones that made up both the floor and the walls. He’d put down a blanket, he knew how cold she tended to get, and together they laid on the floor, looking up at the glass ceiling. She was wrapped up in a set of his robes that he’d placed a heating charm on and she lay on her side, head propped up on a hand, and watched him watch the stars. 

“Do you get sad,” He asked, still not turning her way. “When you see the moon? Does it make you think of your dad?”

Hermione blinked. 

No one had ever really asked her that before. There’d been occasions where a full moon had rolled around and her friends had noticed her withdrawal or unusual silence and asked if she were okay. It always had been slightly hard for her, knowing that her father was somewhere far away in a great deal of pain and alone with no one to help whilst she was locked within the walls of the castle. 

Truth was that she did get quite sad when she looked at the moon. She got sad and she got angry and she got weepy because something so beautiful caused her father so much pain. Something so beautiful had ripped her father away from her before she could’ve formed any core memories of him.

The moon scared her almost as much as it did her father. Something so far away was so destructive and so powerful. But she would never tell him that. Because Theo was the moon and it would’ve killed him to know that she was afraid of him. 

“Sometimes,” She admitted, eyes focusing on the pattern of the blanket they laid on. “Do you get sad when you look at your ring?”

That bloody ring. 

It was a Nott family heirloom, a large and chunky silver thing with embroiders of a snake wrapped around the family crest. It was adorned with emeralds and to be passed down every generation, from father to son. Theo had inherited it from his own father, Nott Sr, at the very end of their fourth year; almost immediately after the Dark Lord’s return. 

Around the same time, Nott Sr had begun to place pressure on his only son, speaking mainly about legacy and duty, reminding him of his bloodline and what they were known for. The ring was supposed to be a symbol of honor, an heir rising to take his rightful place, but whenever Theo looked at him all he felt was dread. 

“Sometimes it is sadness,” His lips were pursed. “Sometimes it is anger.”

They allowed the silence to reign for a while after that. Theo listened to the sound of her breathing because of course, he did, the sound allowed him to feel calmer than he had in a very long time. Hermione crossed her arms and rest her head upon them, watching as his chest rose and fell in slow movements because it seemed like the only constant in her life right about now. 

They found comfort in the familiarity of one another. 

Hermione Lupin knew good and well that Fred Weasley was her soulmate, but she knew just as well that Theodore Nott was the love of her life and somethings you simply cannot deny. 

Her soul belonged to Fred but what could she have done when Theo wrecked it so thoroughly that all she could do was sit and let it happen? There wasn’t physical betrayal but her heart had wandered and in a way wasn’t that so much worse? 

But Fred was far and Theo was close and Theo was cold where Fred was warm and Hermione’s skin, it had been feeling so overheated lately. The cold was comforting. 

It was Fred that she loved. But it was Theo she hid in the shadows of the library with, spilling their souls from in between their lips and exposing to each other the scars on their hearts like two children comparing the scabs on their knees.

There was nothing the girl could do but allow herself to be torn in separate directions and feel the cracks in her heart slowly growing larger whenever she locked eyes with Nott from across a classroom or received a letter in the mail from Fred. 

Pain is so awful but pleasure overshadows it so. She couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it felt like all those years ago when her father was in love with Sirius. She wondered if Ron would understand because no one knew what it was like to fall in love with the wrong person quite like Ron did. 

It was Fred’s arms she curled into by the fire on Christmas break but Theo’s she collapsed into in a fit of tears when life settled too heavily on her chest because Fred was sunshine and grass and fire whiskey and Quidditch on Summer afternoons and because Theo was the moon and snow and smoke and dancing in hidden corridors. Because they were such different people but she managed to love them both at the same time because her life was never simple. 

When she and Fred had broken up at the beginning of December earlier in her sixth year, she’d gone to Slughorn's Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen but it was Theodore she’d spent her evening with. He was comforting because he was the cold and her skin had been feeling so overheated lately. 

Fred was red hair and Theo was dark hair and Fred was blue eyes and Theo was brown eyes and they contradicted each other so obviously, it almost made her want to shriek in frustration. Later she and her friends would laugh about how ridiculous it all seemed to be. They would laugh because it was funny that the daughter of a werewolf would fall in love with both the moon and the sun. It was funny that the sun and the moon both loved the daughter of the werewolf right back. 

Theodore Nott had loved Hermione Lupin since he was 11-years-old and as much as he wanted more, he knew that this was the closest he would ever get to truly having her. 

Since the first day of classes when she had raised her hand at every question, proudly giving the answer and beaming at the praise received for knowing all the correct ones, it had been impossible for him to get her off of his mind. Even when her hair had been too bushy and knees too wobbly and front teeth too large; Merlin was she gorgeous to him. He had watched her with proud eyes as she’d walked down the steps that night at the Yule Ball and blown everyone away with how stunning she looked and he almost wanted to scream out because he knew it, he’d always known that she was never ugly. He’d always seen her brilliance. 

But he’d been too late. For she had fallen in love with the Weasley boy and for as love-struck as Theo was, even he could see how her heartbeat for her best mate’s older brother. 

That was okay, he could settle for this. He could settle for the stolen moments they shared in the darker parts of the castle or at night when everyone else was asleep and they would spill their souls from in between their lips and expose to each other the scars on their hearts like two children comparing the scabs on their knees. He could settle for being the arms she threw herself to sob whenever life settled too heavily on her chest.

He wanted more, of course, he wanted more. But this was all one could get when they were the moon in love with the werewolf’s daughter.

It would do her no good to touch her. And he loved her too much to cause any harm.

So Theo would settle for this. He would settle for the nights where they laid on a blanket on the floor of the astronomy tower and bared their souls as though they were baring their blood-stained teeth, where he would tell her how much he loved her and she would get cross at him for it because she didn’t want to face his feelings for is she faced his she would have to face her own as well. 

It should’ve been bad enough that he was a Death Eater’s son. It should’ve been bad enough that he was a Slytherin Prince. But he was the moon and he was in love with the werewolf's daughter. It was pure hell and the feeling clawed at his throat every time he looked at her and imagined what it would feel like to press his lips to her own, every time he imagined holding her in his arms because she wanted to be there and not because she needed a place to put down the weight that life had settled on her chest. But he was the moon and he was in love with the werewolf's daughter so he would do it.

And he would suffer a thousand years if it meant that she was never caused any harm.


	21. Molly Weasley x Harry Potter; "Proud"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Takes place 5-6 months post-finale battle.

The Burrow was alive that evening. Music and laughter could be heard for miles and lanterns floated everywhere, illuminating the backyard. The sun had long since set and a cool breeze had broken through the air reminding patrons that winter was right around the corner. It still smelt like the food that had been served only an hour before and the large white tent that had been set up was packed to the brim with tables and guests. 

The dance floor had been cleared for Luna and Xenophilius. The pair twirled around in a mess of long pale limbs as they swung off beat to the music playing, leaving the whole tent entertained. The older man carried a look in his eyes that made him seem so far away, never having really been all there in the first place and now even less so after the war but there was still a twinkle as he stared down at his little girl. Clad in her mother’s old wedding dress and long blonde tresses braided back with flowers woven into it, she was the picture of beauty. Luna’s protruding baby bump forced space between them but neither seemed to care as their faces were decorated with the brightest smiles that anyone in the tent had ever seen. 

His little girl wasn’t very little anymore.

Harry stood on the side, his best mates beside him, and watched as his new wife danced with her father, laughing at whatever the man had said. The lanterns illuminated her hair and the white dress she wore, covered in lace and golden inseams. She wasn’t wearing any shoes. 

The dress wasn’t very Luna but it had been her mother’s and she’d insisted on wearing it. 

“She looks gorgeous,” Ginny commented, a small smile on her face as she balanced Teddy on her hip and watched her friend spin around the dance floor, now in George’s arms. 

“She does,” Harry grinned proudly before turning to look down at the redhead. “That’s my wife, you know?”

Ginny gave a snort and rolled her eyes at him. 

“He’s been married not two hours and already doesn’t know how to act,” Star teased, coming up on his other side, Petra in her arms. 

“We knew this would happen,” Hermione sighed, grabbing Teddy from Ginny’s arms and cradling him into her own. 

“Just wait until the baby’s born,” Ron started. “He’ll be unbearable.”

“You bet your ass,” Harry responded smugly, a smirk on his face. 

He’d be the most unbearable person to have ever lived when his son got here. His son. He was going to have his very own family.

“You’re not much better,” Pansy told Ron, sidling up beside him after having grabbed Petra from Star’s arms. 

“Of course I’m not,” Ron spoke as though it were obvious. “How could I be when I have you?”

Pansy rolled her eyes but stood on the tips of her toes regardless to place a chaste kiss on Ron’s lips. He smiled into the kiss and grabbed her hand, leading the three of them away from the group and onto the dance floor where he twirled his girlfriend around, scooping up Petra and dancing her around as well until she exploded into shrieks of happiness. 

Fred had long since stolen Hermione away to dance as well, Star going to find Bill and Asani, Ginny having her made her way over to Malfoy as Harry stood there with a smile on his face as he watched his wife dance around with Oliver Wood. She was stunning, she always had been. Even more so now that she was carrying their child. 

“It’s a beautiful feeling isn’t it?” A voice came from beside him. 

Harry looked to his left and there stood Molly, smiling softly as she took in the sight in front of her. She’d practically planned the entire wedding along with Luna who had been more than happy to accept the help of the older woman. It’d always been Luna’s dream to plan a wedding with her mother and Molly was more than happy to step in and give her just that experience. 

“What is?” Harry asked.

Molly turned to the boy and her smile deepened. 

“When you look at the person you love and know that they’re all yours,” She told him. “And that they’ll be yours forever.”

Harry hadn’t given her an answer. Instead, he turned back towards the dance floor, emerald eyes searching for the blonde woman he’d fallen in love with when he was only fifteen. She sat down now, in one of the old chairs and let Star pin her braid up while Millicent waved a paper fan that one of them had probably conjured up in front of her small face. Luna had a hand resting on her baby bump that she looked down at lovingly, coral-colored lips pulled into an adoring smile. 

Yes, it was a very beautiful feeling. 

“Would you like to dance Mrs. Weasley?” Harry offered, holding a hand out to the matriarch. 

Molly’s eyes softened at the sight of him. She gave a nod and took his hand, allowing him to lead her out to the dance floor. The music was more of a slow ballad and so they began to sway together, not really dancing but just enjoying the other’s company. 

She had to crane her neck up to look at him and it brought tears to her eyes. She remembered when he had been nothing but a small and skinny boy with too much hair standing in the middle of her kitchen, eyes wide with wonder at all the magic going on around him. Now he was a man, the savior of the wizarding world. Now he was married with his first child on the way. 

Where had the time gone?

“I’m very proud of you, you know?” Molly told him, still looking up to him. 

Harry smiled down at her. Molly Weasley had always been there for him, offering him a place to rest his head at night and a seat at her already crowded table, ready to stuff him with food even when she and her husband were struggling financially. She had always made him feel more at home than the Dursley’s ever had and for it, he would be eternally grateful. 

“Thank you,” He responded truthfully. 

“For what dear?” She asked as he spun her around. 

“Everything,” Harry answered. 

Molly’s eyes filled to the brim with tears once more. She’d always loved the boy as one of her own and it only solidified as he grew. Since the morning he had shown up at the Burrow for the first time she had sworn to Lily Potter in the heavens above that she would take care of her son. 

“I always thought that you might marry Ginny or Ron one day,” Molly whispered and Harry gave a small snort at that. Molly let loose a giggle. “Nothing would’ve made me happier than to have you in the family.”

Harry gave no answer, only continued to sway her back and forth.

“But when you told me about your engagement to Luna it made me realize something,” She confessed, he looked down in interest.

“What?” He asked.

Molly smiled up at him, affection shining through her still tear-filled eyes. 

“It doesn’t matter who you marry,” She whispered to him. “You will always be my son.”

It was Harry’s turn to fight back an eye full of tears but neither of them actually succeeded. They let the tears fall as he pulled the older woman into a tight hug that could rival her famous bear-like ones. 

“Thank you,” He croaked once again and Molly responded with a wet laugh, clutching the boy tighter to her. 

“Of course my dear,” She responded. “Anything for one of my boys.”

When their dance had finished, Molly had stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She then stood back and watched as another one of the boys she raised made his way to his wife and pull her right back out onto the dance floor, spinning around. Her heart gave a love-filled shutter as Harry looked down to Luna, a shine in his eyes that made it known that she was the only other in the tent that night. Her heart shuttered again when Luna gave him the same look back. 

Soon Arthur would come up and spin his own wife back out onto the dance floor. They would waltz amongst themselves, watching as their children pranced throughout the tent. The babies they’d raised were no longer babies. 

Bill sat at his table, Star seated in his lap with Asani sleeping in her arms and they whispered amongst themselves with smiles on their faces. Charlie and Percy both watched with love-filled eyes and dopey smiles as their boyfriends discussed Quidditch with each other. Fred had pulled Hermione into a waltz on the dance floor, both of them watching with soft smiles as Teddy slumbered peacefully in Andromeda’s lap. Ron held Petra in his own arms, dancing not really dancing but swaying along to the music with Pansy who’s head was rested on his chest. Harry still looked at Luna as though she was the only person in the tent as they danced in the middle of the floor, one hand rested on her stomach. Ginny stood on the sidelines, a drink in her hand and head rested on Draco’s shoulder, watching everyone else with a smile on her face. 

Yes, the babies they’d raised were no longer babies. But they had made them so proud.


	22. Lavender Brown; "Amortentia"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Set during The Half-Blood Prince

It hadn't been a very good idea but Lavender wasn't exactly known for her strong impulse control. Her eyes had drifted of their own accord, searching for the source of the overpowering scent though she knew exactly where it was coming from. For Godric's sake, it was the only smell that she had been able to recognize for weeks. 

Since Slughorn's class.

He should've known better, having such a powerful love potion around such impressionable teenagers. Not to mention the hormones, what had he been thinking? But perhaps it wasn't his fault she'd been drawn in so close right up until he'd slammed the lid over the cauldron. It wasn't his fault that she had smelt Katie in the Amortentia. 

Lavender had taken it upon herself to avoid the Gryffindor chaser since then, too afraid of turning into a stammering mess at the sight of her and embarrassing herself. It hadn't been so hard before, back when she was barely aware of her feelings but now they were right there, out in the open where she was forced to look at them. It made her chest hurt. 

The girls had only gotten close last year, both being apart of the DA and having paired together multiple times for dueling practice. Lavender found that she enjoyed the older girls' company, finding her interesting despite all of their differences. 

She should've known sooner. It wasn't exactly normal for her to turn red as a tomato and squeal in excitement whenever her owl had brought back a letter but she did whenever it had been sent from Katie. Just the thought forced her to blush a bright red and turn her eyes away from the older girl, instead choosing to focus on the bowl of oatmeal in front of her that she decided was a lot more interesting than it had been 5 minutes ago.

"You alright Lav?" Parvati asked, a concerned look adorning her features at her friend's sudden flush. 

Lavender blushed even deeper now.

"Fine," She mumbled, choosing to shovel a spoon full of oatmeal into her mouth so that Parvati wouldn't expect her to answer any more questions. 

"Please," Star rolled her eyes, looking up from the newspaper she'd been reading over Hermione's shoulder. "It is very obvious that you are not fine."

"Yeah," Ginny frowned. "You've been acting weird for weeks."

It was Lavender's turn to frown.

"No I haven't," She protested. She had been but she wasn't about to admit that. 

"Yes, you have," Hermione stated, setting the newspaper down and turning to focus on the light-skinned girl. "Since Slughorn's class."

Parvati gasped, Ginny looked confused and Star nodded in agreement. 

"You're right," Parvati cried at Hermione before turning on her best friend. "You've been acting weird since he showed us the Amortentia."

"Oh, fuck off," Lavender groaned, face pulled into a look of displeasure as she shoveled more oatmeal into her mouth.

Her mother would probably have thrown a fit if she saw the way she was eating right now.

"Hey Katie," Star greeted, eyes trained directly behind Lavender.

The poor girl nearly choked on her spoon.

She'd turned around just in time to be met with the sight of none other than Katie Bell standing right behind her, a bright smile on her face. Her chestnut brown hair had been pulled back into its usual French braid and her black eyes shining with delight. 

"Hey guys," She greeted the group before allowing her eyes to stray. "Hi, Lav."

Lavender had to fight her breakfast from shooting from her nostrils at the sound of Katie's voice. It'd been a feat but she'd done it and when she finally swallowed a mouthful of what felt like the driest oatmeal in the world she gave a small smile that she really hoped didn't make her look weird.

"Hi Katie," She greeted, face burning and skin turning a bright red.

"So Lav," Katie started, eyes now trained solely on the girl in front of her and not her friends. "I need your help with something."

"Oh?" Lavender replied, voice shaky and nearly cringing at how weird she sounded. 

"Yeah," Katie nodded. "See I'm behind in Divination and I know that you got an O in it last year."

Merlin, why had she bragged about that bloody grade? Because she'd been proud of it a the time. To be fair she hadn't thought that it would come back to bite her in the ass so soon. Dammit. 

"I was wondering if you could help me out?" Katie asked hopefully.

She wanted to say no. She wanted to say no, so very bad because as much as Lavender liked her, being forced to spend time with Katie sounded like an even deeper Hell than not spending any time with her. Because Lavender had never really been known for her impulse control and if she were forced to spend time with the girl she was currently crushing absurdly deeply on, something was bound to go wrong. Still, it seemed almost impossible to deny someone when their eyes were looking at you filled with so much hope. 

"Sure," Lavender squeaked out, nodding her head quickly and greatly resembling one of those bobbling Muggle toys. "I'd be happy to."

She really wouldn't be. 

"Great," Katie chirped, her smile growing wider. "Meet me at the library today after lunch."

Right, it was a Saturday. She couldn't even use classes to save her. 

"Sounds great," She replied waveringly. "I'll see you there."

Katie had gone after that, waving the other girls goodbye and promising to meet Lavender at the library once lunch had ended. Her eyes didn't break from the girl’s retreating figure until she'd left the Great Hall and even then she refused to turn around. She knew her friends would have a boatload to say. Eventually, she had to and when she did she nearly groaned out loud. 

Parvati's eyes were wide and jaw almost on the table, Hermione and Star were smirking and Ginny looked perfectly titillated at the scene that had just unfolded in front of her. 

"Oh. My. Merlin," Parvati chanted.

"Don't say it," Lavender groaned, letting her head fall onto the table in front of her. 

"You love Katie," Ginny sang, smile wide and eyes bright with cheer.

"Shove off Weasley," Was all that she could say in response, her voice muffled since she'd said it into the table. 

"I knew it was Katie," Star cried happily.

Lavender lifted her table and frowned at the Black heiress. If she'd known, why had she let Lavender embarrass herself like that just now? 

"So why didn't you try to save me?" Lavender groaned.

"Because you don't need saving Brown," Hermione rolled her eyes. "This is a good thing."

"How in the bloody hell is this a good thing?" Lavender asked incredulously. 

"It gives you a chance to spend time with her," Ginny responded. "You can find out if she likes you back.

"Which she totally does," Star chimed in again. 

Parvati seemed to be strangely quiet during this endeavor, watching the scene unfold with a small frown on her face. She didn't want Lavender to meet Katie in the library, they barely knew each other. Surely she couldn't be the only one upset about this?

"I didn't even know you knew Katie that well," Parvati admitted, watching her best friend's face closely.

Lavender blushed again slightly. 

"We owled quite a bit over the summer," She confessed.

"Oh, you are so in love with her," Ginny laughed and was met with a sharp glare. 

"Sodd off."

The girls were quiet for a little, exchanging looks. Lavender and Parvati sat on the bench closest to the Ravenclaw table, side by side. Hermione, Star, and Ginny, in that order, sat directly across. It seemed like all of them were staring directly at Lavender, waiting for her reaction.

"Do you really think she likes me too?" She mumbled to Star.

Star broke out into a large grin and nodded quickly, resembling a bobblehead.

"Definitely," Hermione reassured and Ginny nodded in agreement. 

Lavender bit her lip and tried to think about what this meant for her. Star and Katie had been quite close since the beginning of school and Ginny was on the Quidditch team with her. They would know, wouldn't they? And while Hermione wasn't as close to the chaser, they both got along well enough and Hermione usually was right about this sort of thing. She was only ever clueless in her own endeavors. 

If it was true, what they were saying, that meant Katie really did like her the same way and that she had wanted to spend time with Lavender. Her eyes widened in realization. Was this a date?

"Is this a date?" She vocalized, sounding slightly hysteric.

"Possibly," Ginny said, taking a bite of her toast.

Lavender's throat became dry. She looked between Star and Parvati.

"Will you two help me get ready?"

"What," Hermione asked frowning. "You aren't even going to ask Ginny and me?"

"Hermione this is no time for jokes," Lavender cried and Star choked on her orange juice, fighting back laughter. "The girl I have a crush on basically just asked me to marry her!"

"What's happing?" Ginny asked a confused look on her face but Lavender ignored her.

"Please," She pleaded with her friends.

Parvati pursed her lips and did her best to look apologetic. 

"Um, I can't," She started. "Neville is helping me with my Herbology homework." Lavender groaned.

"It's alright sweetness," Star beamed. "I'll help you get ready."

Lavender gave a cheer, silently thanking the Heavens that Star was there, and quickly finished the rest of her meal. Afterwords she’s stood quickly and ran around to the other side of the table, dragging Star from her place on the bench, not letting the other girl finish her breakfast. 

The pair ran back up to Gryffindor tower where they would discuss the probability of Katie confessing her undying love during the study session while Star made sure that Lavender looked presentable.

Once they'd finished getting her ready, Lavender sat in front of the girl's shared vanity and stared into the mirror. She did look pretty, her curls hydrated and falling loose around her face in their dirty blonde ringlets. Star had done her make up so that only her best features were enhanced and her nails had been painted a pearl pink, Lavender's favorite color. She felt beautiful.

And while she sprayed herself with her favorite perfume; lavender, of course, she wondered what it had been that Katie smelled in the Amortentia. 

Katie Bell had smelt lavender scented perfume, nail polish, and shea butter scented shampoo. Amortentia was a love potion. She has know perfectly well who her heart belonged to as soon as it had filled her senses.


	23. Ginn Weasley x Collin Creevey; "Finger Sandwiches"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is set during The Order Of The Phoenix.

In her unbiased opinion, Ginny had every reason to hate potions. The dungeons were too dark and impossible to navigate, even after having been forced to try the past four years. It was ridiculously far from the rest of her classes and the room was uncomfortably humid, making her hair stick to her face with sweat if she didn't have it tied back. There was also the fact that she was rubbish at the subject as a whole, not that having Snape as a professor was helping anyone who wasn't a Slytherin.

The only possible upside was that it was one of the few classes she got to share with Collin and they made sure to sit together every single time. 

Now Collin wasn't as bad as Ginny when it came to potions but that didn't mean he was necessarily great either. He tended to get in more trouble often than his other classes simply because he was a Gryffindor, and because he was a muggle-born, not that Snape would ever admit to his biases. Ginny tended to be right behind him and was never hesitant to jump to his defense, letting her mouth fly open and spouting things that would only land her in trouble as well. 

Regardless, Collin was the only thing that made potions bearable and Ginny was sure that she'd have jumped off the Astronomy tower ages ago had he not been seated next to her in the dingy classroom for the last four years. They tended to make things more interesting for each other.

"Oh, bloody - fuck!" Collin exclaimed, quite loudly, jumping back from their work station. 

He'd been in charge of the stirring and wand work while Ginny cut up and measured the ingredients, doing her best to not mess up. The dark purple liquid had bubbled up quickly when his attention had been stolen by her accidentally cutting her finger with the small knife she'd been set to work with and him finding this seemingly amusing. The potion had spilled over the sides of the cauldron and sloshed down the front of his robes. 

It was Ginny's turn to laugh but she kept it down to a low snicker, biting down on her palm to keep from bursting into loud peels of laughter. 

The potion hadn't been dangerous, ironically it was a cleaning draught, but that didn't make the situation any less funny. Especially after he'd just laughed at her slicing her skin because she was cutting up the rose petals too quickly. Stupid rose petals, it served him right. 

Snape had turned quickly, dark eyes narrowed and thin mouth pulled into a wretched scowl. He'd obviously heard the loud curse, not that he was intuitive for doing so, everyone had heard it. His glare made it obvious, he was out for blood. Unfortunately for Ginny, Collin would be damed if that blood was his. 

He'd already had detention with Snape earlier in the week and wasn't too keen on doing it again. 

"Ginny," He gasped loudly. "Mind your tongue!"

The Weasley girl's eyes grew to the size of saucers and her mouth dropped wide open, her jaw finding its place on the table right next to those bloody rose petals. No way. 

Snape made his way over, sweeping his dark cloak behind him like some flamboyant, and very lame, supervillain. 

"Ms. Weasley," He drawled, voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard. "As I am sure you are well aware, this is a classroom," She could barely resist the astronomical urge to roll her eyes, "And such language will not be tolerated in this classroom. Next time, perhaps you will respect both yourself and my classroom and act more as a lady should." He paused a beat to look down into her cauldron. "This potion is deplorable, 40 points will be taken from Gryffindor."

40 points. 40 points! He hadn't even taken that many off of Malfoy when he hexed Neville's potion in class last week. 

Still, Ginny was given no time to respond. Snape had stalked off, searching for his next poor target with his beady eyes. He'd once again swished his cape behind him like some sort of overgrown bat and moved on in a flurry of black robes. She wanted to lob her cauldron at the back of his head, act more as a lady should her ass. 

When she turned to face Collin he refused to meet her eye, instead choosing to whistle innocently and stir the potion before him as though nothing had happened. A scowl found its way onto her face and she let out a low growl, punching him hard on his bicep. He let out an audible yelp and clutched the spot where she'd stricken him. He bruised easily because of his anemia and Ginny found herself thinking that he deserved it. 

"Another 5 points Weasley," Snape called out from the other side of the room. She let out an audible groan this time. 

"You are so dead when we get out of here Creevey," Ginny promised, turning back to the damn petals. 

Once the class had ended and the potions had been bottled in small vials and dropped onto Snape's desk to be graded, Collin wasted no time in rushing back to the work station and grabbing his bag and potions book. Not even bothering to pack them, he instead chose to bolt from the classroom, running as fast as his long legs would take him.

He had managed to navigate himself around the dungeons and to the main staircase before glancing back to check for Ginny. He gave a yelp when he realized that she was gaining on him. Her braid flew behind her as she ran and her face had twisted into a look of determination, eyes as focused as when she spotted the snitch on the Quidditch field. Collin ran faster then, bounding up the staircase and taking it two steps at a time. 

By the time they'd made it to the left-wing of the third floor, he was extremely fatigued and silently cursing his parents for not putting him in sports when he was younger. Ginny, ever the athlete, ran strongly after him, hardly fazed. Sweat began to bead along his hairline and the place on his leg where his bag had started to bang repeatedly against as he ran was beginning to feel numb. 

Other students watched and laughed as the pair ran through at least three corridors. They'd passed at least two of her brothers who cheered their little sister on in her pursuits and Collin was sure he'd seen some Slytherin and Hufflepuff kids placing bets on when she would catch up to him. He began to wonder whether he should've just taken the detention with Snape. 

Salvation came to him in the form of a fifth-year DADA class dismissal right into the corridor they'd just arrived in. The hall had quickly filled and Collin hoped there were enough students for him to hide amongst until he could safely get away from Ginny, at least until he could get her a snack from the kitchens as a gratuity for taking the fall and not killing him. 

It seemed as though he wouldn't get his wish however because he was forced to stop in his tracks when he nearly ran straight into Ron. 

"Collin," Harry frowned, eyebrows furrowed and concern clouding his features. "Are you alright?"

"Mhm," Collin whimpered, ineligibly, hands on his knees and panting hard to try and regulate his breathing. "Ginny,"

He hadn't gotten the chance to finish because said girl had barreled right into him like a fully grown linebacker, sending him straight to the ground.

"Bloody hell," He wheezed, oxygen knocked from his lungs.

"That'll - fuck - teach you to blame me," Ginny panted, hands on her knees just as he had been, trying to regain her breathe. "Godric you run fast for someone so out of shape."

"Thanks," Collin groaned back, still on the floor. 

When it became evident that her stance was doing nothing to help, she joined him at his place on the cobblestones. Both did their best to refill their lungs with air and stop the throbbing of their tongues. Star offered them her water bottle while Ron muttered something about weird fourth years and the large crowd began to slowly disperse, students trickling from the corridor and making their way down to the Great Hall for lunch. They laid still on the ground, breathe now caught and staring up at the huge cathedral-like ceilings. 

Collin's eyes were focused specifically on the large iron chandelier hanging above them, holding candles instead of lightbulbs because wizards were weird, and wondered if they'd be instantly killed if it fell on them. He wondered if Ginny was thinking the same thing the way she tended to do.

"You reckon it'd kill us if that fell?" She questioned and he was sent into loud cackling laughter before agreeing that yes, it probably would. 

Collin enjoyed moments like this, ones with only him and Ginny. It seemed that lately, they weren't able to spend much time together since she had begun dating that Ravenclaw git; Michael Corner. In truth, Collin was happy for his friend and glad that she had finally decided to get into a relationship after years of harboring strong feelings for Harry. She deserved to be happy, he just missed her. 

"D'you wanna head down for tea?" Ginny quipped, turning her head to look at him.

"Yeah," Collin agreed, standing quickly. "'M starving."

She gave no audible response, only accepting the hand he offered her and allowed him to pull her from the floor. They dusted invisible dirt from their uniforms out of habit and made their way down the corridor together, footsteps echoing and bouncing off of the walls, taking the place of what was usually hundreds of students. Muscle memory dictated and Collin threw an arm around Ginny's shoulder, used to her being his armrest because he was that much taller than her, and refused to let her forget it, chatting as they went. 

"You're coming to the DA meeting tonight," She asked, looking up to meet his eyes. "Right?"

"Might as well," Collin shrugged. "Last one before holidays."

Ginny's brow furrowed at the remark. 

"I thought you liked the DA meetings?" She questioned. 

They were at the staircase now, making their way down slowly. 

"I do," He responded nonchalantly. "It's just," 

"Just what?" Ginny frowned.

Collin bit the inside of his cheek, wondering how he would proceed. Truthfully he wished that he hadn't said anything at all, it wasn't like he could tell her that the meetings were sort of miserable now that she was always pairing up with Michael. It wasn't fair, he was her boyfriend and she should be able to spend as much time with him as she so pleased. 

"Forget it," Collin threw out, making his way down the stairs with a quickened pace.

Ginny stopped in her tracks immediately. He had only made it a few steps further before realizing she was no longer beside him and turned around. She stood, arms crossed in front of her chest and eyes narrowed, the same frown painted on her face. He couldn't help but notice that it didn't belong there.

"Why'd you stop?" He questioned. 

"You didn't answer my question," She responded stubbornly. Collin rolled his eyes. 

"Gin just drop it," He offered. "It really is nothing." 

"If it's nothing then why can't you tell me?" 

"I don't have to tell you everything," He reminded her. 

"Since when?" Ginny scoffed.

Collin had long ago realized that his friend's stubbornness was only funny when she was aiming it towards other people. He'd gotten used to telling her everything just out of habit and whenever he didn't, he was forced to face her pursed lips and cocked eyebrow that told him plain and well they wouldn't be going anywhere until he admitted what was going on. Maybe if he didn't know they were currently serving finger sandwiches down at the Great Hall this very second, he would've had more of a resolve to keep his true reason hidden.

"Gin please," He pleaded, letting his head fall back. "I'm starving and your brothers will eat all of the finger sandwiches if we don't hurry."

Ginny only popped her hip and placed her hand on it, there was absolutely no way for him to get out of this. 

"Fine," Collin groaned. "The meetings just haven't been as fun without you.

"What," She questioned, nose scrunched in confusion. "I'm always at the meetings."

"Yeah," Collin sighed, turning red and wishing he were anywhere else. "But you're always with Michael."

Ginny blinked, realization slowly settling in.

I've been neglecting him, Ginny thought.

It wasn't that Collin didn't have any other friends. He was familiar with a number of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in their year, not to mention his close friendship with Luna. But none of them were Ginny. 

The ginger girl had been his best friend since their first year. She was the first one to speak to him at the welcoming feast, greeting him with a wide smile and bright eyes. Collin had, had a million questions about the wizarding world and Ginny a million questions about the Muggle world and in the midst of the conversation, a bond was formed. Now it was sort of weird whenever they weren't together. 

But she had a boyfriend now and he needed to respect it, he knew. It hadn't bothered him at first, it still didn't really bother him. He had been so proud of Ginny when she first told him about her and Michael but that was before he actually knew Michael; who was sort of a prick. 

Ginny loved Collin. She loved his fluffy blondish-brown hair and wide chocolate colored eyes, his one dimple that showed up whenever he smiled, and the way his nose crinkled whenever he got embarrassed. She loved how lanky he was and how annoyed he got when she called him "Fallin' Collin". It wasn't her fault that he had the grace of a newborn giraffe, it was his fault for teaching her what a giraffe was. 

She loved that he had always regarded her as an equal, unlike her brothers, and seemed to appreciate every aspect of her; noticing her as a three-dimensional person with flaws and not pinning her down with labels. He never sectioned her off as just a tomboy when she spoke addimitly about sports or as a ditzy girl when she wanted to talk about her looks or boys she liked or clothes. Collin had always accepted Ginny for being Ginny and she'd pushed him aside. 

Shame burnt her throat. 

"Oh Collin, I'm sorry," She spoke sincerely, moving from her step to get close to him. "I hadn't realized I'd been spending so much time with him."

"Ginny he's your boyfriend," Collin responded, eyebrow raised. "You're supposed to spend time with him."

"Yes," Her eyes rolled and she nearly took back the apology. "But that doesn't mean I have to ignore you."

He offered no answer. 

"I'll pair up with you tonight," She promised. "And we'll head into Hogsmeade this weekend for a shopping trip before the break. I owe you some quality time."

"What about Michael?" Collin questioned, trying hard to swallow his excitement. 

"He can pair up with Justin," She offered, off-handily. "And he'll find some way to entertain himself Saturday."

Collin allowed himself to grin then, "Yeah, alright. That sounds great."

"Good! Now let's go," Ginny stated, looping her arm with his and grinning back up at him. "I have it on good authority that they're serving finger sandwiches."

They made it off the stairs together, walking to the Great Hall as Ginny chatted animatedly about what they could do in Hogsmeade that weekend with bright eyes.

Collin remembered the first picture that he had taken when he got to Hogwarts. It was the first day of class and they were allowed a short break after potions and right before lunch. Ginny and he had just learned they were in the class together and had paired up. After the lesson was over, Ginny had dragged him from his seat and down to the Black Lake, telling him all about how her older brothers had spoken of a secret spot with a big rock that overlooked the whole thing. 

She had shown him to the clearing, the one with the big rock, and stood upon it as if she had declared herself Queen of The Lake. The wind had picked up, blowing her waves of fire-red hair behind and around her, her arms outspread as if she were preparing to take flight and smile wide, showing nearly all of her teeth. The sun had hit her and turned her brown eyes into flaming gold orbs, her skin illuminating and freckles standing proud and pronounced. 

She looked beautiful. 

Without much thought, Collin had snapped the picture of her, standing upon the rock as Queen of The Lake, preparing to take flight with waves of fire surrounding her. It had easily become his favorite amongst the rest of the pictures that he'd taken at Hogwarts and he kept it taped to the first page of the journal he'd started since arriving at the magical school. Ginny didn't know he still had it and it wasn't likely that he'd ever tell her. 

But it was probably the picture he was most proud of.


	24. Parvati Patil; "Never A Bride"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Takes place 6 years post-war.

The music was nice even if she didn't recognize it. 

Padma had probably picked it, they never knew the same songs. Nearly everyone occupied the dance floor, happiness pouring out from every direction. Padma herself was in the middle, dancing with her just-made wife; Angelina. They looked ridiculously gorgeous and unfairly happy. 

She wondered if she looked out of place at all, standing alone on the sidelines. She hadn't set foot on the dance floor yet despite the fact that she loved to dance. She chose instead to get drunk.

The glass in her hand was beginning to drain. She thought briefly about seeking out Hermione so that they could bicker about whether it was half-empty or half-full. 

No, Hermione was most likely off with Fred. They'd brought their twins and new baby girl whom everyone was fawning over. Hera Nymphadora Weasley, that was her name. Arguably the cutest baby in the world or maybe she was just biased as the godmother.

At times like this Parvati would usually scope the room out and zero in on Pansy, they would sit in the corner to gossip and laugh. But Pansy was at home with Ron and their own kids, they'd just had a baby girl themselves. Persephone Alena Weasley. 

It was funny, it seemed that all her friends had babies by Weasleys. 

Except for Luna. Or Padma. Or Ginny. Or her. 

Luna was on the sidelines herself but sitting down with her own husband; the famous Harry Potter. Parvati smiled fondly at the memory of when she and Harry had gone to the Yule Ball together in their fourth year. It'd been disastrous but it was something that they laughed about now. Their eldest, James, was off with Teddy, and Asani, their twins were off playing with the cousins and Albus slumbered peacefully in his mother's arms. 

Padma was still on the aforementioned dance floor. She looked stunning in that dress, like a princess. She'd considered wearing a saree but chose instead to go with a more western look if only to spite their mother who watched on now with disdain. It was the first time Padma rebelled against the woman other than when she refused to break up with Angelina and Parvati couldn't have been more proud of her sister. 

Ginny was on the floor as well, with Draco. Their son; Scorpius was off playing with the cousins and his younger sister Lyra was with their grandmother Narcissa. They were a gorgeous family and knew it. Draco had pulled Ginny to dance despite her refusals, as he always did, and Ginny had given in, as she always did. 

Then there was her. Alone, no children, and draining her glass: getting drunk at her sister's wedding. 

Parvati Patil: always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

Yes, her glass had become entirely too empty now. She turned quickly to make her way back to the bar for some more of the good wine, the last three hadn't done as much as she'd hoped. Her father was most likely watching on in disappointment but it seemed the liquor had done enough so that she wouldn't care. 

Parvati thought now of how her parents stood on opposite sides of the room instead of together and decided to order a shot along with her glass. The couple had split up late last year, months before Angelina and Padma's wedding. Their father had argued that; what did it matter if Padma married a woman so long as she was happy and loved? Her mother had disagreed. Neither would be swayed. 

The twin's eldest sister, Pameela, had been over the moon at the news. She was amongst the first to congratulate the couple on their union and had officiated the ceremony, smiling non-stop throughout the entire thing. Their other sibling, Panna, could not care less who Padma chose to marry so long as they treated her well. Panna had always been more protective over their younger sisters and so it took them longer to warm up to Angelina though now, the pair were good friends. 

It brought a smirk to Parvati's face. Their homophobic mother; cursed with a transgender asexual daughter for her eldest, a non-binary pansexual for her second, a bisexual disaster the third time around, and a lesbian demisexual for the youngest. Life was funny that way. 

It was an open bar thanks to Seamus. Since graduating he'd opened his very own chain of pubs and restaurants and as a wedding present offered to cater for free.

Merlin blesses him, Parvati thought as she downed her shot. 

"Can I get another one of these please," She smiled kindly at the barmaid, pointing at her still empty glass. It was quickly filled. "Thank you."

The girl behind the counter gave her a wink before moving on to the next person. She was cute, but Parvati had been to enough weddings to know not to sleep with the bartender. Still, even the person behind the counter was better than going home alone at night and being forced to lay in an empty bed with only her thoughts.

"Can I get an Old Fashioned?" A voice asked from beside her. 

Parvati allowed her eyes to stray towards its origin, it seemed familiar. Adrian Pucey leaned up against the bar, watching his drink being made, dark eyes raking in the sight of the barmaid as well. He looked handsome in the suit he wore, not wizard wear but instead, Muggle. He was one of Angelina's teammates on Puddlemere United along with Oliver.

"She's mine," Parvati found herself blurting.

Maybe the wine had done more than she thought or maybe it had been the shot.

"Pardon?" Adrian asked.

Who'd had the nerve to make his voice that attractive? Her knees had nearly gone weak. His eyebrow had arched in question and his attention was fully on her now, not the woman behind the counter. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything. Except that it was too late to turn back now. 

"She's mine," Parvati repeated. "The barmaid. I saw her first."

Adrian gave a short chuckle at that. 

"You're Padma's sister, right?" He questioned, head cocked to the side. 

Parvati could only nod, “And you’re Angelina’s teammate.”

"Weren't we in school together?"

He was starting a conversation. The way his eyes lingered on her lips and breast let her know he was interested and the way he lent against the counter but faced her let her know she'd gained his full attention. This wasn't her first rodeo. 

"I would assume so," She replied cooly, allowing the words to slip from between her ruby painted lips. "Though I have to imagine you were a few years ahead of me."

It was Adrian's turn to nod, "About four, I suppose." 

She took a small sip from her glass before placing it down and asking for water. She needed to start hydrating if she wanted to wake up tomorrow without a hangover. Or loss of memory. The cool liquid managed to taste like ambrosia and she drained the entire glass.

"Regardless of the age gap," She said, turning to face him once more. "I called dibs."

Adrian smiled now. 

"Dibs," He asked, grinning down at her. "Are we still at Hogwarts?"

"No," Parvati shot back quickly. "I'd have already had her in my bed if we were. The only reason I'm waiting is because I promised my darling sister that I'd see her off."

He seemed to find this hilarious and threw his head back to laugh. It was a nice sound. Deep and rich and intoxicating.

"I like you, Patil," He smirked, taking a sip of his own drink. 

"Yeah," She asked, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "So does the barmaid."

"Well," Adrian responded, standing straight again and grabbing his glass from the bar. "In case you and the barmaid don't work out, give me a call."

From his pocket, he pulled out a small card and held it out toward her. Her eyes strayed from his chiseled face to the card in question and wondered if perhaps he'd gotten the wrong idea from her flirting. 

"I don't date," She clarified, and yet her hand moved slowly to grab the small paper from him.

"Maybe you've been hanging around too many barmaids then," He smiled. Not a smirk but a genuine smile and winked at her when she pulled the card from his hand despite her previous statement. "I'd like to see you again Patil."

He walked away then and she watched him, allowing her brown eyes to follow his figure until he disappeared from sight into the crowd of people. Parvati bit her bottom lip and glanced down at the card she still held in her hand. It displayed his name, an owling address, and phone number. 

Why the pureblood Slytherin Quidditch player was wearing a Muggle suit, ordering a Muggle drink, and using Muggle communication, she would probably never know. But there was no harm in pocketing the information. 

"Hi," The voice broke Parvati from her revere and she was forced to look up once again. It was the barmaid, and she had an interesting accent. "I'm Anya."

Parvati bit her lip once more. The woman was pretty. Full lips and large hazel eyes, a wide nose with a septum piercing, and long dark dreadlocks that were piled on top of her head and tied into a bun. She was leaning over her own side of the counter, eyes raking over Parvati and the emerald green dress she wore that hugged her subtle curves. 

The card weighed heavy in her hand and she thought of Adrian. 'Maybe you've been hanging around too many barmaids then', maybe she had. Parvati thought of her bed, empty where she would lay alone with only her thoughts. 

"Hi Anya," She said finally, turning towards her and leaning closer, presenting the lady with a bright smile. "I'm Parvati."

Parvati Patil: always a bridesmaid, never a bride.


	25. Pansy Parkinson; "Survive"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: No specific timeline
> 
> TW: Mentions of sexual abuse

Something no one ever told her about surviving was that she would not know what to do with her hands. 

It felt as though her entire body were robbed from her and she was nothing more than a guest in the vessel she's occupied since birth and she would no longer know where to put her hands. So she makes sure that they never stop moving. It is an out of body experience for her; the after part. 

She sees a ghost living in her eyes and cries about it, mourning for the child she once was or at least should've been. 

She feels dirty even when she's clean. She scrubs at her skin until it is pink and raw but still feels the filth on top of her as though it is suffocating her cells and it doesn't really matter how long it's been. Doesn't really matter how hard she scrubs. But she still scrubs. 

It is hard for her to look herself in the mirror without crying afterward. It is hard not to think about how much she looks like him, finding every single similar feature that she wishes so much to change but can't. 

And she thinks that she dreamed it at first. Somehow the whole thing seems so surreal and daydream like that it could only have been a nightmare. Except that it wasn't and she knows that it wasn't. But still, she sits awake, afraid to close her eyes and dream. 

No one ever told her about the convulsions. 

She has them sometimes when she thinks about it. The feeling is like lightning running through her veins and makes her entire body shiver. The hair on the back of her neck stands up as if trying to warn her of something lurking just around the corner but they're too late. She's survived it already. 

After the fact, she chops off all of her hair.

Her entire life it had been long, streams of silky ink-black tresses that poured from her head and didn't stop until they reached her hips. Just like her mother. So one night she sneaks down to the kitchens and grabs one of the knives that her father's house-elves use to carve large chickens or turkeys. She chops off all of her hair, long and ink-black tresses made of silk that no longer reach her hips. 

She's beaten for it when her parents see the choppy haircut that barely reaches her chin. Her father yells about how boyish she looks and she wonders if it's enough for him to keep his hands off of her. Her mother stares, mouth agape, and Pansy wonders if she knows. 

They try to grow it back with magic. Every time they do she sneaks back down to the kitchens and grabs the large knife, cutting herself free from them once again. She gets beaten every time but it still doesn't stop her. Eventually, they give up and let her leave the hair short. She never lets it grow past her shoulders again. 

She doesn't let anyone touch her.

Crabbe grabbed her elbow once, possibly to tell her something, the reason didn't matter. She'd screamed at him, her face turning red as she fired off insult after insult, screaming at him to never do it again. She hexes him by accident, his hands are glued together. It was the first time she'd ever done windless magic. 

When Eloise Midgen tried to hit her for poking fun of the acne scars that decorate the Gryffindor's face, she attacks. All her anger is let out in the punches she releases on the poor girl, Eloise hadn't even done anything wrong. Pansy visits her in the hospital wing later, breaks down crying, and apologizes to someone for the first time in her life. She tells the girl she knows what it's like to be the victim of pointless brutality. They bond over the pain that night and never speak again. Pansy doesn't make fun of the scars anymore, she has her own. 

Her first kiss couldn't be with a boy. 

She had a myriad of male friends that probably would've been happy to be her first kiss, if only for the bragging rights, but none of them were good for it. Her first kiss is with Lavender Brown in an abandoned corridor during her fourth year. She tasted like apple juice and peaches and Pansy found herself afterward thinking that it was the best first kiss she could've ever had. 

No one told her how strange it would feel to gain any positive affection. 

The first time Ron had told her he loved her she'd been shocked into silence. The first time he'd kissed her it had been soft and caring and she'd nearly cried. The first time he held her in his arms while she sobbed to him about everything that she had to deal with because no one had ever really told her about what happens after you survive it, he rubbed small circles into her back and kissed her sweetly on the forehead and she wondered if this is what love should feel like. Not angry and course but soft and caring. 

Nobody mentions what it is like to look him in the face afterward. 

There is a ringing in her ears whenever she is forced to stare him in the eye. It is as though a voice is screaming in her head and it is the same one that was present each night. He pretends as though nothing is wrong, as if he is as innocent as the day he was born but she knows he is not. Perhaps he never was. Perhaps he was born with the evil inside of him.

No one told her that she will hate herself for it. 

She knows that it is not her fault and there was nothing that she could have done. But that doesn't make it any better, she still feels bile rise in her throat when she looks at old pictures of herself. And then she cries because that poor girl, the little one in the photographs, she never stood a chance. She mourns for the child. She mourns for herself. 

Everything gets burned. 

After the war, she returns to the manor, the castle of her darkest nightmares. Slowly she walks, through every room and up every staircase. She sets everything on fire. His books and her mother's clothes and precious family heirlooms and old pictures and portraits that show a charade of a family. 

Everything is turned to ash and she doesn't cry this time. No, instead she screams. This is her repatriation, seeing the castle of nightmares burn to the ground at her hand and watching everything he once cared about burn with it. So Pansy screams and burns and when she reaches her bedroom everything gets torn apart before it is thrown in the middle of the room and set ablaze. She is homeless now but has never felt freer. 

There was no manual. 

There was no rule book on what to do after surviving it. There was no guide that told her what to do the next day or the day after that. Everyone speaks about the act itself but no one really talks about what happens if you survive it. No one told her about what to do on the days she wished that she had never survived it. 

They don't talk about how everything becomes numb.

Doing the simplest things felt weird afterward. Brushing her teeth, washing her hair, writing letters to her friend, or feeding her owl. Everything she ate tasted like mashed potatoes. It was almost as though she wasn't living anymore. Pansy wondered if she had actually survived it after all. 

Ron made everything a little less numb. Because all of a sudden there was joy in the little things again. 

She'd never had a mother who would ask her about her day while they cooked dinner together or who knitted her sweaters every Christmas but then she had Molly. She'd never had a father who taught her all about things he'd found at work or inventions he'd made up in his shed but then she had Arthur. She never had older brothers to tease her or teach her how to play Quidditch or give her advice on boys but then she had Bill, Charlie, Percy, Oliver, Marcus, Draco, Harry, Fred, Neville, and George. She'd never had sisters to paint her nails or go shopping with or gossip or pick her up when she was sad but then she had Ginny, Fleur, Hermione, Star, Luna, and Millicent. 

She'd never had someone who loved her unconditionally, flaws and all, and looked at her as though she were the brightest thing in the sky. She'd never had someone who wanted to build a life with her and give her the entire world. But then she had Ron. Because Ron seemed to make everything a little less numb. 

Something no one had ever told Pansy about surviving was that it was all going to be worth it someday. 

All the pain and tears she'd suffered, all the nights she laid awake at night in fear of closing her eyes and the nightmare creeping in from behind the corner; everything that had nearly made her give up. She'd almost given up. She hadn't wanted to survive and she nearly didn't. 

It is so hard to be strong all the time. Sometimes she ached to be weak. Sometimes her bones creaked and moaned from the weight of the suffrage that they were forced to carry and she yearned for nothing more but to put it down and make all the creaking and moaning stop. Sometimes she wished the hairs on the back of her neck would never stand again and the ringing in her ears would disappear. 

The ringing disappears when Ron is around. The hairs on the back of her neck relax and the creaking and moans stop. Life doesn't feel quite like a burden anymore. 

Pansy wonders if she survived for him.

When their children arrive she promises to protect them. She vowed they would never suffer as she had and that they would never have to be told what happens after they survive it. She knows they will be loved as children should, Ron will love them as a father should and she will love them as a mother should. She will keep them safe so they never have to be saved the way she did. 

Pansy knows when her children are born that not only she has survived for them but that she survived for herself. She survived for the poor little girl in the photographs that never really got a chance to be a little girl.


	26. "Dinner At Gryffindor Table"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Set during Order Of The Phoenix. 
> 
> Short filler chapter

“Merlin,” Star groaned, pushing her plate away from her. “Is this going to be an everyday thing with you two?”

“What are you talking about?” Hermione asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

“She’s talking about you and Fred shagging each other with your eyes in the middle of dinner,” Ron responded nonchalantly, shoveling the fork he’d loaded with food into his mouth.

“What?” Hermione cried, eyes wide as Fred laughed beside her.

“In front of my salad,” Star replied, eyes closed as she shook her head in mock disappointment. “I expected more from you.”

“Did you actually?” Fred asked with a grin, throwing his arm around his girlfriend.

“Not really,” Harry replied for her. “It would be nice if we could have a meal without the two of you feeling each other up underneath the table though.”

“We are not!” Hermione disagreed, face turning a bright pink which made George snicker.

“Right and I’m not a ginger,” Ginny answered with a roll of her eyes as she reached over the table to grab the basket of rolls.

“I hate all of you,” The Lupin girl groaned, letting her head fall into her boyfriend’s shoulder as she attempted to hide her face in his neck.

“Not our fault you and Fred can’t keep your hands off of each other,” George laughed before biting into one of the rolls he’d nicked from Ginny’s plate.

“That’s not fair,” Fred argued. “We’re no worse than Lee and Star were.”

“That's right mate,” Lee agreed with a cocked eyebrow. “You two are much worse.”

“Worse than you and Star were?” Hermione cried, wrenching her face from Fred’s neck, eyes wide.

“Much worse,” Star reminded, a smirk coloring her features.

“Lord,” Hermione whispered, burying her face into her hands.

The group was sent into a fit of laughter.

“Not our fault Star and I were the only actual relationship before you two got together,” Lee defended.

“Yeah,” Star agreed. “You have no one to compare them to except for us.”

“Yeah and you lot were bad enough,” Ron called between bites.

“Here here,” George cried out, lifting his goblet of pumpkin juice into the air.

“Sod off,” Lee said with a roll of his eyes, Ginny laughed.

“Not like they act any different now,” Harry stated, rolling his eyes.

“Meaning?” Star questioned, turning to face her friend with a raised eyebrow.

“Meaning the two of you still act like a couple,” Fred and Ginny quipped in unison before exchanging grins.

“Do not,” Star frowned.

“Do too,” Hermione shot back with a wicked grin.

“Fuck off Lupin,” Star answered, sticking her tongue out at the girl across from her.

“Make me Black,” She smirked in response.

“One day you’re gonna lose your bird to her,” George told Fred, chuckling.

“You think I don’t know that,” Fred asked back. “‘Mione and I will be married, I’ll still wake up with Star on the other side of her in my bed.”

“Married you say?” Hermione turned on him, smile wide and malicious.

Fred groaned in regret, wishing he’d never said anything.

“You’re never getting out of this one mate,” Ron snickered.

“Want to marry me, do you, Weasley?” Hermione asked.

Harry, George, and Lee all let out loud guffaws at the shade of red that Fred’s face turned.

“Maybe,” He mumbled.

Hermione’s eyes grew wide at this and her mouth fell open slightly. The group grew quiet, watching the couple's interaction. Bunch of nosey bastards they were.

“Wait seriously?” Hermione asked face wiped clean of all humor.

Fred only nodded, “Yeah seriously.”

The corners of Hermione’s lips twitched upward and she leaned forward, pressing her lips onto his.

“Okay,” She mumbled into the kiss. “I’ll marry you.”

Fred grinned widely at that and deepened their kiss, causing a mix of applause and retching to come from those surrounding them.

“Right in front of my salad,” Star sighed and the rest of them all began to laugh once more.

"Bugger off Black," Hermione smirked, pulling back from the kiss. "I'm getting married."

"Oh," Star snickered. "Well good for you then."

"I'd better be a bridesmaid." Ginny cut in.

"Me too," Harry agreed.

"You want to be a bridesmaid?" Lee asked.

"Well for what it's worth," George responded. "I think you'd look radiant in a dress Harry."

"Thanks, George," Harry grinned. 

Fred pulled Hermione back into their kiss, hand on the back of her neck, ignoring the cries of their friends. Neither of them paid the others any attention.


	27. Author's Note

Kind of stuck so leave suggestions for what you guys would like to see in the next few chapters!


	28. Hermione Lupin x Fred Weasley; “Peter&Wendy”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Another Hermione x Fred chapter came heavily requested but it'll probably be the last one I do for a little, only because I've done so many already. I'm going to start focusing on other couples/friendships so let me know what else you guys would like to see.  
> This is set during The Goblet Of Fire

The Gryffindor common room was probably louder than it should've been on a Christmas morning. It wouldn't be so if nearly everyone in the castle hadn't stayed behind that year to attend the Yule Ball.

"Ginny this one's for you," Ron called, holding out a messily wrapped package towards the girl for taking.

"Ou give me, give me," She cheered, reaching forward and nearly snatching the package from his hands to read who it was from. The name Harry was sprawled onto the paper in scratched on writing and Ginny gave him a grin before tearing it open.

There were a few new color-changing quills inside, the ones that she had mentioned she wanted over lunch down in the Great Hall a few weeks ago, a pin from Zonkos and Chocoballs which had always been her favorite. Her chest and face both grew warm at the sight, happy that Harry had remembered those things about her and she rewarded him with a fast peck on the cheek when she was sure that none of her brothers were looking, she wasn't very keen on having them make a big deal from it.

Since they'd found out about Ginny's feelings for Harry years ago they took to teasing her about it at every possible opportunity despite the fact that it had been fading away for several months now. In fact, she'd started to develop butterflies whenever Michael Corner smiled at her as he passed in the corridors now.

"'Mione this one is for you," Ron declared, staring hard at the small package as though he were trying to decipher its writings. "From Fred."

Both of Hermione's eyebrows raised of their own accord. She blinked, owlishly, before reaching out to grab the package, weary of whether or not it would blow up in her face and dye her skin purple or something of the sort. When she'd held it in her hand for all of ten seconds and nothing destructive or embarrassing happened, she deemed it safe enough to open and ripped apart the wrapping paper which was a bright orange color with green designs on it.

The cover of 'Peter Pan' stared boldly up at her, as though challenging her but to what she wasn't able to decide. Once more she was forced to give an owlish blink as her lips parted in surprise and her brows furrowed. With confusion planted firmly in the front of her mind, Hermione flipped the book open to the first page and standing just as boldly as the cover had was a small message written in black ink and Fred's, surprisingly neat, handwriting.

'From Peter Pan to Wendy, until the day I take you to NeverLand.'

Hermione probably stared at the message for around 3 whole minutes. The world around her hadn't stopped, presents were still being passed around and thanks were being exchanged. Harry had just pulled on his designated Weasley sweater and Star had launched herself into Ron's arms, covering his face in kisses over whatever gift it was he'd gotten her to which Lee watched on in disdain. But she sat, stuck in a trance as she read the message back over and over, confusion still running ramped.

"Peter Pan" ... "Wendy"... "take you to NeverLand"...

What was he trying to say? Was he trying to say anything? Or was she just overthinking like Harry often accused her of?

As though being forced back through time Hermione found her mind no longer present in the Gryffindor common room but instead under the old willow tree behind the Burrow, next to the creek.

The day after the Quidditch World Cup when she'd found enough reason to wander away from her friends in desperate need to collect her thoughts and do anything possible to ease her fears. She sucked on the filter end of the cigarette that dangled between her middle and forefinger before inhaling, allowing the smoke to fill her lungs and cause a tingling sensation before it was released back out into the air. She'd watched the cloud of smoke until it disappeared and let her mind to wonder how bad things were about to become.

Her father, an ex-prisoner of war, flittered into her mind and she wondered if they would be forced to live through one once again. Hermione wondered if she would lose him once again.

A branch had snapped behind her and she turned quickly, eyes wide with fear, whether it was of being caught smoking by Molly or being attacked she couldn't decide. Her tensed muscles had eased when she saw it was only Fred and she frowned, wondering as to why he'd wandered so far away from the house. He surprised her by sitting down and sharing the smoke. He surprised her by having a conversation with her, perhaps the first without others around, and she found herself venting to him about her fears. Fred had reassured her in a way she hadn't thought he could and by the end Hermione found that she could quite enjoy his company when he wasn't being so very obnoxious.

For the second time in his life, she called him Peter Pan though this time it was endearing.

After a while, Molly had called them all back into the house for dinner. She'd turned to walk towards the Burrow when Fred had grabbed her by the wrist and snatched her back, pulling her into his chest and kissing her. And she had kissed him back. It hadn't been spoken about since. 

When she finally tore herself from the stupor and forced herself to return to Gryffindor Tower, she raised her eyes, allowing them to scan the room quickly, looking for Fred. He sat on the couch across from the one she sat at the feet of, right beside George, and was laughing at something Lee had said. Briefly, his own eyes strayed over to her, their gazes locking and Hermione was forced to fight the shiver that ran through her body.

She wanted to say something, anything, but he looked away once again before she could.

Fred remembered.

"This ones from Ron, Mione," Star said, breaking Hermione from her trance as she finally registered once more where she was and looked to the present her friend was holding out to her. 

"Oh," She replied, slightly dazed. "Yes, thank you, Ronald."

He'd gotten her some new hair clips and the book she'd been wanting; Pride and Prejudice.

The edge of the stair she sat on felt hard on the back of her thighs. Her feet were exposed now, touching the cool stone after she'd thrown those wretched heels off and she wondered if her hair was frizzy again, even after all the product that had been put in it to make her curls smooth enough to pin-up. She'd even worn one of the hair clips that Ron got her.

"I'll go get you some water," Star whispered, rubbing circles into her friend's back and smiling in a way she hoped was reassuring.

Hermione only nodded, wiping the newest wave of tears that had slipped from her eyes as her friend bunched up the material of her own dress and made her way down the stairs, back into the Great Hall.

The nerve of him, to insinuate her a traitor, to practically yell out to the entirety of the hall that no one would want her unless they were trying to gain something. It'd made her feel so foolish. She'd felt so pretty at the start of the evening, the belle of the ball. For once in her life people hadn't looked at her and only seen; Harry and Star's friend, the Gryffindor bookworm, the werewolf's daughter.

It was all ruined now. The thought brought on a fresh wave of tears and forced her to sniffle slightly.

"Hermione," The call came tentative, as though they were trying not to startle her.

Hermione lifted her head from where it sat buried in her arms to seek out the origin, at the bottom of the staircase stood Fred. He looked quite handsome in his dress robes, the dark color making his eyes seem brighter and he had done something with his hair for once, brushing it back and tying it; sort of how Bill did. The Weasley's could surely clean up nice.

"Oh," She pursed her lips, doing her best to wipe away the tears and look presentable though even she knew it wasn't working. "Hello, Fred."

Fred smiled weakly, "Hello Hermione."

There was a beat of silence.

"Are you always this formal during a breakdown?" He asked. Hermione laughed, she supposed that she was.

"Perhaps," Was all she said, giving a shrug.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" He questioned, making his way up the stairs and sitting down next to her, where Star had been.

"It's just Ron," She replied with a roll of her eyes, she sounded congested.

"What'd the git do now?" Fred groaned and Hermione laughed again.

"Nothing," She sighed, looking down at her toes now. They'd been painted for tonight, lavender to match the color of her dress instead of the white she tended to do. Or at least, let Lavender and Star do on her whenever they were able to convince her to get a pedicure. "Just told the truth I suppose."

Fred looked at her toes too, how she wiggled them around relishing in the feeling of the floor cooling them, "Well may I know the truth?"

Hermione turned to face him, giving a tired smile and resting her elbow on her lap and her head against her hand.

"He said that Viktor was only interested in me because he wanted information on Harry," The tears came back again and her throat felt scratchy as she tried to fight them. "That it made no sense for him to like me otherwise."

Fred frowned, "Well that just isn't true."

"Isn't it though," Hermione sniffled, wiping her tears before giving a humorless laugh, it all seemed so ridiculous. "I mean think about it, even if he were interested in only being friends, why would it be with me?"

"Because you're you," Fred answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, forcing Hermione to look up at him. He scooted closer to her on the step.

"Hermione you're one of the smartest people I've ever met," She opened her mouth to say something but was silenced by his gaze. "You're also the bravest, most ruthless, headstrong, and beautiful witch to probably have ever walked the halls of Hogwarts."

"I think McGonagall could give me a run for my money," She muttered with a frown and it was Fred's turn to laugh.

"Listen, whether you believe what I'm saying or not, which you probably do because you know all of this already, " He chuckled. "Just remember that there are so ... so many reasons why someone would be interested in you."

"You've never been insecure," Fred continued, as though he were trying to engrain the message into her head. "You've never had a reason too. You Ms. Hermione Lupin are a total badass."

Hermione matched his intense gaze now, smiling slightly, "Really?"

"Really," He replied, eyes unwavering.

She gave no reply.

"You're Wendy," He whispered, leaning in closer as if sharing a secret with her.

Hermione's breathing hitched at that, heart beginning to pound quickly. He was admitting it, acknowledging the thing he'd written in the book. The bloody message that had plagued her mind since she first read it as she tried to decipher what he had meant.

"And you're Peter." She finished, staring hard at him to try and catch any hint of reaction.

He smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm Peter."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, instead choosing to rake their eyes over the other's faces. Perhaps to try and understand what the other was thinking or perhaps to try and savor the moment which seemed so surreal neither could tell whether it was all a dream or not. This was probably the longest time they had talked with no one else around or without Hermione yelling at him since that day down by the creek, underneath the willow.

"Well," Fred cleared his throat, scratching at the back of his neck. "Um, I should go."

"Good night Hermione," He gave a weak smile.

"Goodnight Fred," She whispered back, eyes dazed.

He stood then, making his way down the stairs as Hermione watched. She stared as he walked slowly down, making it halfway across the hallway before she stood quickly, all logic and critical thinking having flown out of the window. Perhaps that was what happened when one was to stay too long around Fred Weasley.

"Fred," She called, forcing his attention as he turned around, looking at her in confusion.

It was something of a feat, making her way down the steps in the stupid dress that was defiantly made more for looking pretty and dancing in, but she'd done it. Her shoes were long ago discarded so she was forced to walk barefoot across the hall but it didn't seem to matter at the moment. As previously mentioned, staying around Fred Weasley for too long tended to impair one's critical thinking.

When she made it in front of him she became suddenly aware she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to say. Her lips were pressed into a firm line and she chose instead to size him up, almost as if he were a puzzle she was being forced to decode. Fred cocked an eyebrow, looking down to the fourth year in curiosity before she launched herself into his arms and his eyes widened comically.

Hermione's arms found their way around her torso and she pressed her body against his, laying her head against his chest in the first hug she'd ever shared with what would come to be her very own half of the Weasley twins. The sound of his heart beating fast brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you," She mumbled, so low he had barely heard her.

But he'd heard her.

"You're welcome," He muttered back, cheek now resting on the top of her head as his own arms encircled her frame.

"Are you seeing this?" George hissed, eyes never breaking from the embracing pair which stood directly in front of the doors of the Great Hall.

"Of course I'm seeing it, George," Star rolled her eyes. "I'm right next to you."

"So when do you think they'll finally realize they're in love with each other?" He asked, turning to face his companion.

"D'know," She shrugged, looking up at the sixth year. "Don't think it'll be any time soon, like this year," Star turned back to the pair which were still locked in their hug. "But something changed between them."

...

"Like they have between you and Lee?" George questioned, seemingly innocent.

Star's heart broke slightly at the mention of the name but she still turned to look at her friend with a face wiped clean of emotion.

"What do you mean?" She asked, body rigid.

George's eyes grew soft.

"Star," He replied quietly. "It's a bit obvious things aren't the same between you two."

She gave a sigh.

"I know," She mumbled, eyes welling slightly with tears and her voice cracked, throat feeling scratchy as she did her best not to cry because it was stupid to cry over boys. "I was just kind of hoping we could pretend for a little while longer."

George frowned and he took it upon himself to bring his friend into their own embrace, circling his arms around her and rubbing at her bareback.

"Don't worry," He told her. "I'll always be here."

"Thanks, Georgie," She mumbled into his chest, closing her eyes and letting a tear slip from them as she chose to focus only on the feelings of the protective arms surrounding her.

Daughter's of Marauders tend to live with broken hearts.


	29. Neville Longbottom x Fluer Delacour; "Orange Scented Shampoo"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Takes place post-war. I'm thinking of writing Neville as a character with he/they pronouns so let me know if that's something you want to see.   
> TW: Mentions of alcohol abuse

Fleur finds him that first night, stuck to a stool in the Leaky Cauldron with his head rested on the sticky counter, drinking whatever Tom placed in front of him. She sits and watches for a while, eyes raking over his figure and face as he continues to drown his sorrows in the late afternoon. He’d been there since early in the morning, not that he would tell her that. 

For an hour she sits at a table, eyes trained only on him, and watches. Nearly everyone in the bar turns to look but this she is used to, it does not bother her. All of her attention is on the fair-haired man at the bar. She knows him, she remembers him.

She’d been meant to visit the twins at their shop, stop in and say hello, but her attention had been stolen now. Fleur remembered the man, he’d gone to Hogwarts, was friends with Harry. He had been the one to kill the snake with the sword of Gryffindor. As far as the Wizarding World was concerned; he was a hero. So why was he sitting here alone?

When the hour passes she decides it is best to make her move now, quick and painless. The plan had already been formulated. 

She makes her way over, slamming a handful of Galleons down onto the bar, affectively closing his tab, before helping him stand. His body falls against her slender form but she holds him up, seemingly effortless, and drags him out behind the pub to the brick wall that leads to Diagon Alley. There is no struggle in her movements, she is as graceful as if she were walking alone.

For the first time, Neville notices how tall she is, the top of her head reaching just under his nose so that he can smell her orange scented shampoo. He finds that he likes it. 

They apparate to her flat in Hogsmeade, right next door to Zonkos, and he promptly throws up all over her hardwood floors the moment they arrive. It is cleaned immediately with a slight flick of her wand and he wonders if he had actually thrown up at all. With unfocused eyes, he watches as she disappears down a dark hallway, the sound of her heels hitting the floor sending out little clacks that radiate in his brain. She returns a moment later with clothes that she shoves into his arms. 

“Ju vill vash up,” She tells him, voice stoic. “Zen ju vill change.”

There is no room for argument and even if there was, his head still hurt far too much for him to put one up, so he nods. For a brief moment nothing is said, she only looks down her nose at his disheveled appearance before turning back on her heels and walking away. She leads him back down the hallway and he follows, swaying slightly with each step, into a large bathroom that was resemblant to the one to use it every day. 

The tiles were white and wall a pale blue, the toilet had a lever to be pulled rather than a knob, there was a huge mirror hanging above the pale blue sink which went horizontally rather than vertically and in front of the large window, that took up most of the wall, with a golden sill was a porcelain claw-foot tub. The entire room smelt of her orange shampoo. 

“You’re not worried people will see you?” Neville asks, words slightly slurred and eyes unfocused as he gestured to the large window. 

“Non,” Fluer shakes her head. “Eet ‘as a charm. I can see out, zey cannot see een.” She smirks then. “Bee-side, I am good-looking, non? A body should be seen so lo-ng as eet az been permitted to.” 

Neville found he had nothing to say to that so she sends him a friendly wink and hands him a clean towel that he hadn’t noticed in her hands before walking out, shutting the door behind her. 

The clothes are baggy against his frail frame when he pulls them on, a pair of pajama bottoms and crew-neck hoodie, and they smell of detergent. His breath now reeks of the spearmint mouthwash from the cabinet behind her mirror and skin like the oat milk body wash that rested on the window sill. The cold water helped to clear his mind somewhat but his stomach still turned. 

By the time he had made it back into the living room, Fluer was no longer there. Noises came from the kitchen and a strong aroma filled the flat that made his stomach growl with need, he couldn’t remember the last time had eaten. He couldn’t remember a lot of things nowadays. He found that he liked it better that way. 

Still, hunger outweighed logic and he made his way to the kitchen and standing in front of the stove was Fluer, in the process of transferring two eggs from the pan onto some toast, bacon sitting neatly next to it on the plate and causing his mouth to water. Without a word she turned and placed the dish on the table, gesturing for him to sit and eat as she grabbed mugs from the cabinet and attended to the whistling kettle. It was cold in the flat and his feet felt frozen as he made his way into the kitchen and sat at the small table, grabbing a piece of bacon and nibbling on it. 

Fleur glided around the kitchen, she didn’t walk she glided, her blonde hair swaying behind her like a curtain of golden silk. It was only after he’d downed a cup of coffee and devoured half of the sandwich she’d made that he realized it was shorter than the last time he had seen her. 

“Why’d you cut it?” He asked before taking another bite. 

She turns to look at him, eyes resting on his and blinking. His own eyes rake over her face, almost eager to make her as uncomfortable as she was making him but the feat seemed impossible, she was not easily unsettled. The arched eyebrows, thin lips, pronounced cheekbones, and large blue eyes reminded Neville exactly why the Veela had the reputation they did. 

“‘Air gets cut,” Fluer tells him. “Theengs change.”

He almost wants to tell her that he knows, he knows how things change. That he had been one of the things to change and that it had been so inevitable and fast, it almost scared him. He wanted to spill out his guts to her the way he’d done earlier in her living room but the thought physically repulsed him and so he didn’t. 

A thought struck him. 

“Where’s Bill?” Neville asks, noting how late it was getting and that the man was not yet home. 

Fleur pauses in her motions, no longer facing him but now the sink where she was washing her dishes with magic. She turns slowly to look at him again, face wiped of emotion now and eyes filled with ice. 

“‘Air gets cut,” She repeats. “Theengs change.”

Bill wasn’t with Fluer anymore and he had forgotten that. Shame hit him deep in the chest for the first time in what felt like years though it had probably only been several months. It was the reason he spent his days at the Cauldron, the complete and utter absence of shame to be found at the bottom of the bottle. 

“I’m sorry,” He tells her, speaking truthfully. 

Her head cocks to the side, almost in question. “For what?” 

Neville swallows hard before responding, “For bringing it up.”

She smiles now, it is small but reaches her eyes, her lips are closed yet it brightens her entire face. 

“‘Ere eez not-ing to be sorry for,” Fluer responds, the words rolling off of her tongue too easily, as though rehearsed, and she almost sounds sincere.

“Is that true or is that just what you’re telling people?” Neville questions. 

The shy boy that had been sorted into Gryffindor all of those years ago was gone now. He’d graduated now, was a war veteran now, had been tortured now, and often found himself at the bottom of a bottle, trying to forget all of it, now. Whatever filter that had once existed had been burned away by the alcohol and ash of the fires he had set to the bridges around him. 

Fleur offers him a slight smirk at that, not un-similar to the one she had to give him in the bathroom, “Eet cannot be both?”

So the Veela wanted to dance. 

“It can,” He nodded, not even noticing how much his head had cleared. “But is it?”

Fleur gave an amused scoff at that, turning from where she leaned against the counter and making her way to the refrigerator. From it she pulled two water bottles, tossing one in his direction to be caught. The cold liquid calmed his inflamed throat and helped him focus.

“Ju ask lots of questions,” She pointed out.

“Can I ask one more?” 

“Ju just did,” Fluer said, raising her eyebrows quickly and smiling again, amused at herself for the lame joke. 

Neville only rolled his eyes, “Why’d you bring me here?”

“I understand vat eet is like,” She told him, smile gone but face calm. She sat across from him at the dining table now and his reflection was visible in the lens of her glasses. “And dis place,” Fluer paused to look around the kitchen before turning to face him once more. “Eet gets lonely.”

The loneliness he could understand. 

“Alright,” He told her, grabbing the water bottle once more, taking another sip, and leaning back into his chair. “I’ll be lonely with you then.” She gave him another small grin and for the first time, he returned it. 

For the next several weeks it is Fleur who finds him, whether it be at the Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks or even the Hogshead, Fluer finds him and he is dragged back to the flat right next to Zonkos. It seems inevitable that after a while it is him who seeks her out. Sometimes he finds himself in front of her door, unable to remember how he got there, knocking until she is forced to open it and face him and other times, he apparates straight in. 

A routine is developed and then one night a line is crossed. They never go back to the other side.

The liquor had messed with his head, impaired his thinking. The pounding of his head refused to cease and his arm was numb from where her head laid on it. The scent of her orange shampoo filled his senses and nearly made him wretch into her silk sheets, which he was certain she would’ve killed for. 

With practiced elegance, Neville slipped his arm from beneath her head without waking her and rolled from the bed quickly and as silently as possible. Where were his pants?

The answer was the floor. He picked them quickly, pulling them on and turning every few seconds to check that Fluer had not yet woken. The pounding in his head had still not ceased and the threat of him throwing up onto her carpeted floor was still eminent. 

Silently, he slipped from the room and shut the door behind him before making his way down the hallway into the bathroom.

The bright colors burnt his retinas and it took a full moment of blinking for his vision to settle. Opening up the cabinet, Neville grabbed the bottle of mouthwash and swished some around in his mouth, the taste of night old alcohol present and unpleasant. He looked like crap when he finally faced his reflection, deeps bags underneath his eyes, skin puffy, lips chapped, and hair a mess. Except his face wasn’t as skinny as it had been two months ago, his eyes had brightened and his skin had regained some of its colors. He knew exactly why too.

When he exited the bathroom, the door to the bedroom was wide open and there was noise coming from the kitchen. The reason why was awake. 

The floor was warm against his bare feet. She always insisted on keeping at least two windows open and the hardwood floor would instantly absorb the temperature of the apartment which could range from freezing as the Winter to warm as the Spring. Sun streamed in through the glass and it smelled like syrup. 

Neville’s stomach churned at the scent but still, he padded to the kitchen, standing in the doorway and watching as Fleur glided around the room in her white silk nightgown. Her hair looked untouched and presentable, as always, and the only obvious blemish on her clear Ivory skin were the marks he’d left on her neck the night before which had already turned to a dark purple. Despite the headache, Neville found himself smiling at the sight. 

“Are ju staying?” She asked, not turning to look. She didn’t need to, she always seemed to know when he was around. 

Was he staying? It wasn’t like there was anywhere to go, it was a Saturday and the middle of the afternoon. He didn’t have a job to be at and hadn’t gone home in at least a week. It was quiet at Fluer’s, he was offered peace here in a way that he hadn’t been since the war ended. There was no harm in staying until later. 

“Yes,” He answered, nodding though she couldn’t see. 

There was now coffee brewing and Neville realized just how dry his mouth felt. 

He made his way over to the sink which sat right next to the stove where Fluer stood and turned on the tap, pulling at the nozzle it until clear water ran from the spout. There was no motivation for him to go and get a cup, the cabinet was on the other side of the kitchen, above the bar, and the fridge seemed too far so Neville bent down and opened his mouth, drinking the water that way. For a moment he let the cold water run over him, wetting his head and easing the pounding of his brain. 

When he removed his head from the sink he noticed that Fleur stood, watching him, her nose scrunched in disgust and the corner of her lip lifted in distaste. Neville smirked at the woman before shaking his head wildly, allowing the water to fly from his hair and wet her to which she shrieked. He only stopped when she smacked him with the spatula she held in her hand and he laughed at her glare. 

“I should kill ju,” She huffed, arms crossing in front of her chest and Neville only grinned, reaching his arms out to wrap around her and pulling her close to him.

“But you won’t,” He reminded, pressing a kiss to her head. 

She wouldn’t and she knew it so she only pushed him away, turning back to the pancakes she was making. 

It was no one but Fleur Delacour who made him sit and watch as she drained each bottle of liquor into the kitchen sink of the lonely place that would come to be there’s in the coming months before she incinerated the glass. It was no one but Fleur Delacour who would rub his back as he emptied his guts into the toilet or run her fingers through his hair when he came to bed after a shower. It was no one but Fleur Delacour who would drag him back from the pub whenever he had snuck away, escaping and drinking when her back was turned. 

It was no one but Fleur Delacour who had forced him to reconnect with his grandmother and all his friends after months of having avoided everyone. It was no one but Fleur Delacour who’d screamed at him the night she learned she was pregnant, threatening to leave with the child if he didn’t give up drinking. It was no one but Fleur Delacour who stood by his side through the withdrawal symptoms and ugly moments of his recovery.

She’d been on his side when he questioned going back to school. She’d given him 3 beautiful children that he loved more than life itself. She’d joined him in going back to Hogwarts to become professors. Neville Longbottom: Head of Gryffindor House, Professor of Herbology. Fleur Delacour: Professor of Charms, Head of Hufflepuff house - in honor of her late friend Cedric Diggory. 

Fleur Delacour had saved him that first night and she had been saving him ever since.


	30. Seamus Finnegan; "Mr. Brightside"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Set during The Half-Blood Prince. Based on the song Mr. Brightside. Dean uses he/they pronouns. 
> 
> TW: Mentions of sexual themes, alcohol and drug use.

It was probably a good thing that a majority of the room was plastered if only so that no one would bother him about having not moved for the past 10 minutes and the unbudging scowl on his face. The liquor in his cup, he wasn't even quite sure what it was, had long since warmed from his grip around the red plastic and his butt was starting to feel numb from having sat for so long. The common room was cold despite all the warm bodies packed into it and the fire going. All of the windows were open and it was nearing the end of December.

Gryffindor had decided to throw a party, they'd just won the last Quidditch match before Christmas break was due to start and decided it was enough of a reason to celebrate. Seamus probably would've been celebrating with the rest of him were he not so miserable.

They were too close for comfort. Their foreheads were basically touching, Dean hunched over to be face-to-face with Ginny, their lips only inches apart as they laughed at each other in the corner of the room. Seamus knew they had to be drunk, or horny, to be laughing so hard because Dean wasn't even funny. The scowl on his face only deepened.

"You know parties are supposed to be fun, right?" The voice came from beside him. It was Star when he turned and she had an eyebrow cocked at him.

"Yeah," The voice from his other side agreed. It was Parvati. "And you look downright miserable."

"Like a babe who's just had his favorite toy taken from him," Added Lavender, standing behind the couch.

"And watched that toy be chucked into the Black Lake." Finished Hermione, beside Lavender.

"Shove off," Seamus grumbled, finally taking a sip from his cup, ignoring the disgusting temperature.

"Why're you so upset Bub?" Parvati cooed, eyes unfocused slightly and it was obvious enough that she'd had more than a few cups to drink.

"I'm not," He replied, voice clipped.

"Right, and I'm a famous Quidditch player," Hermione replied.

"Guys leave him alone he's just-" Lavender started before cutting off abruptly.

Katie Bell had approached with a drink in her hand and a smile on her face. At the sight of her girlfriend, Lavender bid her friends a quick good-bye and allowed herself to be led away, up the stairs to what was probably going to be an empty dorm room. Parvati frowned to herself, watching the interaction before standing quickly, wobbling slightly as she did so.

"I need another drink," She mumbled, stalking off.

"Now she looks miserable," Seamus pointed out, emphasizing the word 'she' as if hoping to alleviate some of the attention from himself.

"Yeah well," Star sighed, resting her elbow on the back of the couch and turning to face him. "She's trying to deal with the fact that she's only just realized she's in love with Lav when it's too late."

Seamus turned to her with eyebrows raised in interest to which she nodded.

"It's been weeks of it," She explained, waving her cup around softly as she spoke. "Lav is dating Katie now and Parvati's really happy for her except for the fact that she's miserable because the person she loves is with someone else."

"Kind of like you," Hermione finished, now sitting where Parvati had been rather than standing behind the couch.

Seamus pursed his lips at that, choosing to take another sip of his drink instead of responding. He should've known it was a trap, it couldn't have been anything else when Star and Hermione teamed up. There was a beat of silence between the three of them as the party went on around them, music playing loudly and people dancing too close to each other without them wearing some sort of protection.

"You lot haven't exactly been acting like the cast of Sesame Street either you know," He spoke, watching a couple of seventh years grind on each other. Thank Merlin they'd locked the younger years in their dorms.

"Don't try and use Muggle references to project your own issues onto us Finnegan," Hermione frowned, turning to face him.

"Besides," Star cut in. "We're sure we have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't either," He smirked, shaking his head in amusement.

The smirk fell from his face quickly when his eyes shifted back to Ginny and Dean only to see them in a passionate lip-lock that made his stomach churn. The cup suddenly felt heavy in his hand and the cold room was much warmer than it had been a moment ago. He felt his throat dry up and in a moment of desperation chugged the rest of the warm liquid, it just had to be beer, and slammed it down onto the table in front of them.

Star and Hermione both jumped slightly at his sudden action, watching as he rose from the couch quickly.

"Shay," Hermione whispered, eyes filled with concern.

"I can't be here," Seamus responded, staring down at the carpeted floor and curling his hands into fists.

He gave them no time to answer as he pushed his way through the crowded common room and to the stairs that led to his dorm room.

It was silent in the hall when he arrived, everyone else was downstairs. The dorm was just as cold as the common room was, they'd thrown most of the windows open to mask the smell of liquor and whatever it was that was getting smoked. The frosty air smacked him in the face and attacked his bones, causing the hairs on his arms to stand up.

Still, he grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled one out, placing it between his lips and lighting it with the tip of his wand before making his way to the bay window beside his bed and sitting on its bench.

The sky was pretty and the stars were twinkling and there was snow on the roofs of the towers and Dean was downstairs kissing Ginny by the fire. And Seamus was alone in his dorm room, sitting on this bench, smoking out of his window and being upset about the fact that Dean was downstairs kissing Ginny by the fire. Funny that life worked out this way.

There was a knock on the door but Seamus didn't turn around. It could only be Hermione or Star, the boys wouldn't knock and the girls were probably hesitant to burst in the way they usually did because he was upset. Sure enough when the door opened Star walked inside, carefully at first but then all at once before shutting the door behind her.

"I didn't mean to do it y'know," He told her, not bothering to ease into the conversation that they both knew needed to be had. Seamus stared down at his hands as they wrung together.

"Do what Shay?" Star asked softly as she made her way closer to him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Love him," Seamus mumbled.

"You know that it isn't wrong to love them," She started, staring at the way his hands twitched and the ash from his cigarette fell into the carpet. "Right?"

"They don't love me back," Seamus replied, scratching at the back of his neck in discomfort and glancing at his friend.

"Doesn't mean you have to sit up here miserable," Star reminded him.

He went to reply when the door opened again and they both turned to look at who'd entered. It was Hermione this time. She stood before them with her own cup clutched in her hand and hair clipped up like Star's was. Her eyes were slightly red but her nose wasn't so Seamus couldn't really decipher whether she'd been smoking or crying. He kind of hoped it had been crying just so that it didn't mean he'd missed a cyph.

"Don't stop on account of me," Hermione stated, eyebrow raised as she made her way towards them. "What's going on?"

"Gay angst," Star replied before he could and was sent a glare in her direction to which she only shrugged.

"Been there," Hermione smiled, sitting down on his bed slow enough to let Seamus know he had in fact missed a cyph.

"Yeah? With who?" He asked, both from curiosity and desperation to change the subject from him.

"Angelina Johnson," Hermione replied with a soft smile, eyes trained on him but unfocused.

Seamus had to have given a look of surprise because both Star and Hermione snickered. Hermione gave a nod in confirmation, a small smirk gracing her features.

"From the beginning of second-year right up until the ending of fourth." She told.

"What happened the ending of fourth?" Seamus questioned, almost sure that he knew the answer.

"Fred happened," Star replied before Hermione could, looking at her friend with her head tilted to the side.

"Yeah," Hermione sighed, eyes gaining a faraway look. "Fred happened."

"Mine was Tracey Davis," Star joined, eyes almost as far away as Hermione's now except she wore a smile.

"Davis?" Seamus's eyebrows shot into his hairline. He certainly was learning a lot about his friends tonight. "The Slytherin bird?"

Star nodded.

"We were involved for quite a while," She explained, Hermione snorted. "End of the third year up until-"

"Now," Hermione cut in, deadpanning.

"Are not," Star denied.

"They're as on-and-off as she and Lee were," Hermione explained to him, now completely ignoring the Black heiress. "Started fooling around at the end of the third year when she and Lee were on a break and have been going since."

"Every time Lee and I would break up, Tracey and I would get back together," Star's lips were pursed. "We aren't talking now."

"Not yet," Hermione rebutted with a roll of her eyes. It was Star's turn to ignore her.

"And you," She asked Seamus. "When did you know you had feelings for Dean?"

Seamus bit the inside of his cheek. He'd never exactly admitted his feelings out loud before, not even to himself. There was no doubt in his mind of the emotions that he felt whenever he looked at his roommate, it was only hard to speak on them. Hermione and Star had each shared something personal with him. His mum had always said that the best way to relieve emotions were to speak about them, not that he ever listened, and if he were going to tell anyone there probably wasn't anyone better than the girls in front of him.

"I suppose I always have," He started, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Became a bit more aware of them, middle of fourth year and by the end of fifth I was a goner," He paused then to take a drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke fill and burn his lungs before releasing it. "Now he's snogging Weasley downstairs."

There was a moment of silence between them as the girls absorbed what he'd told them before it was broken.

"Well that's depressing," Star spoke fairly bluntly and Hermione choked on her drink. Seamus chuckled despite himself.

"Yeah," He nodded in agreement.

The trio was disrupted when the door opened once more and through it came Ginny and Dean. There lips were still attached and they had stumbled blindly into the room, Ginny already pulling at Dean's sweater and Dean had one hand in Ginny's hair and the other tightly gripping at her waist. Hermione's eyes grew wide, Star's mouth dropped open and Seamus could feel his heartbreak.

"Are either of you going to stop to breathe?" Star called, causing the couple to break apart and heads to turn towards the people who already occupied the room.

"Um," Dean began, cheeks turning slightly pink. "We didn't know that anyone else was in here."

"I'd hope so," Hermione scoffed, taking another sip of her drink.

"Not really too keen on having," Star paused. "Whatever was about to happen, happen in front of us."

"So why don't you leave then?" Ginny asked, a slight edge in her voice as she looked at her friends with pleading eyes.

"Dunno," Hermione sighed, leaning back onto Seamus's bed with her elbow propping her up. "I'm quite comfortable."

Dean's eyes darted quickly to Seamus and they gave him a once over, as though only now noticing that he'd been in the room. The thought made him feel even worse. What finally made his heart shatter was the fact that it was probably true. Dean didn't really notice much else now that he had Ginny.

"C'mon guys," Seamus stated, voice cold as he stood and flicked the cigarette butt out of the open window. "Let's just take this elsewhere."

He walked from the room then, not turning to meet his friend's eye or look to see if the girls were actually following him.

"Take what elsewhere?" Dean asked, turning back to face Star and Hermione, who were now both standing, after having followed Seamus out of the room with his eyes.

"Um," Star paused, eyes growing slightly wide. "Threesome." Was all she said before darting from the room, skirt flying behind her as she ran.

Dean and Ginny both turned to face Hermione with slacked jaws and confusion written clearly on their faces. Hermione stood, letting out a heavy sigh, with her head buried into her free hand, and wondered if becoming Star's friend in first year had been a good idea at all. When her head lifted, Dean and Ginny were still staring at her.

"Yup," She answered drying. "That's what we're taking elsewhere."

"I've got to go," She rushed quickly, not giving either of them any more time to question her, and walked quickly from the room, down the hallway where Seamus and Star stood, waiting for her.

"Threesome?" Hermione asked with an annoyed face, arms crossed.

"I panicked," Star defended.

"They're doing what I think they're doing in there," Seamus asked with a heavy sigh, eyes trained to the ground. "Right?"

The girls shared a look before turning back to him.

"They could just be talking," Star offered, hopefully.

"Kind of hard to talk with their lips stuck to each other," Seamus grumbled.

"Do you," Star paused. "Do you want to go set something on fire?"

"Star," Hermione cried, turning to face her friend.

"What," Star cried back. "You set that desk on fire when you and Fred broke up!"

"Yes," Seamus cut in before an argument could ensue. "I want to set something on fire."

Star grinned widely at him and Hermione sighed once again, wondering how she ended up in these predicaments.

They'd set several desks on fire. Hermione had shown Seamus the spell her father taught her in her third year to produce it and Star simply used her element manipulation and together they took out their anger and frustrations on the old wood. A few tears had rolled down his cheek during it, as he watched a broken and rickety desk collapse in on itself amongst the flames, without noticing though both of his friends did. Raw emotion was produced in the presence of cathartic destruction.

Hermione burned them for Angelina and she burned them for Fred and she burned them for Theo. Seamus burned them for Dean and he burned them for Ginny and he burned them for himself. Star burned them for Lee and she burned them for Tracey and she burned them for her father.

Perhaps they'd break up, Seamus thought as he watched the bonfire they created inside the abandoned classroom grow larger, it seemed there was no fear in the room catching on fire, it would be easy enough to stop it.

Perhaps he knew that was wishful thinking, not that he could help it. Hope did bad things to a person, it made them wonky and easily foolish. Besides, since he'd met Dean it was hard for Seamus not to look on the bright side of things.


	31. Millicent Bulstrode x George Weasley; "Names"

"Oi!" Came the cry. 

Millicent settled back down onto the balls of her feet, turning her head to see where it had come from. The shop wasn't packed yet but it was still before lunch which meant that it would be very soon. Her calves ached from the strain of standing on the tip of her toes for so long and her face had turned a nice shade of pink from having lifted her arms. A full box of Decoy Detonators sat at her feet and an almost empty shelf stood before her.

It seemed that something no one had stressed to her before she had gotten pregnant, or even after she'd shared the news, was that pregnancy brain affected one very seriously. Millicent had taken to forgetting everything, which included leaving her wand in the flat this morning and being too lazy to walk back up and get it. Luna, who seemed to have had every symptom in the book when she was pregnant with James, told her that it would get worse in the last few months and only when you were soon to give birth. 

Millicent went to Luna and Molly with a lot of questions, Molly having birthed seven children and Luna being currently pregnant with her second and third. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Fred asked, walking up beside her, hands on his hips.

"Did you just walk away from a customer?" Millicent responded, turning to look behind Fred at the woman he'd just marched away from mid-conversation.

"Gred!" He called loudly, stealing his twin's attention from a blonde who was obviously trying to flirt with him and failing miserably. 

Much like his brother had, George, walked from the customer mid-conversation and over toward them. Millicent gave them both incredulous looks at their blatant disconcern of losing business. Her arms had crossed themselves by the time George had arrived at his brother and girlfriend. 

"What's going on?" He asked, sidling up to Millicent and wrapping an arm around her waist. 

"She was stacking shelves," Fred tattled and Millicent's jaw fell. 

"You what?" George cried, turning toward her with a worried look. 

"It isn't a big deal," She insisted, beginning to contemplate pushing Fred from the banister. "I'd already carried the box out here -"

"The box?!" The twins were in hysterics. 

"Excuse me?" The blonde who George had walked away from approached, seemingly offended at the dismissal. 

"Hello," Millicent greeted, doing her best to appear friendly and not annoyed. "How can I help you?"

"The box!" George repeated as though he couldn’t believe she’d do such a thing. 

"Millie you are putting our children in danger!" Fred insisted.

"OUR children?" Millicent asked. 

The blonde had seemingly given up at this point, upset at the lack of attention, huffing in frustration and stomping away. Both twins ignored this, attention still settled firmly on the shorter, and the very pregnant woman, who stood before them. 

"How did you even find the box?" George asked, suspicious. 

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "We specifically hid all inventory so that you couldn't get to it."

Millicent sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to fight the oncoming headache. 

Since the twins had learned she was pregnant they had taken to making it nearly impossible for her to do her job. They would put all of the boxes in the storeroom on high shelves they knew she wouldn't be able to reach, enchanted the cash register to lock whenever she tried to open it and made excuses to steal her away from customers she was interacting with in the middle of a sale. They had become absolutely insufferable and showed no sign of stopping. 

"Well, I got a stool and - "

"A stool?" Fred questioned, nearly aghast. 

"Aren't you supposed to be upstairs on bed rest," George asked, pulling her closer toward him. "Per the medi-wizard's orders."

She gave a scoff at that, "That was not a medi-wizard, that was a homeless man that you paid to pretend to be a medi-wizard because you thought it would trick me into staying in the flat."

"You reckon that would work on Hermione?" Fred asked his brother, frowning in concentration. 

"No," Millicent deadpanned. 

If Fred were bad with Millicent now that she'd neared the end of her pregnancy, he was damn near awful with Hermione who was currently at the beginning of hers. The poor woman was only three months and was already in a constant battle with Fred who insisted that she was being overworked and should take some time off. It was very similar to the battle that she was currently fighting with George, and had been for months. 

"Look," She continued. "I stayed up in the flat for two weeks and was bored from my mind, I want to work."

"What if we put her at the register?" George asked his brother after a moment of consideration. 

"The drawer could hit her stomach," Fred vetoed. "We could have her work the floor?"

"She could walk into corners," George shook his head. 

"I am not a toddler," Millicent reprimanded and they had the decency to blush. 

They each paused, making eye contact with the other, and seemingly began to have a silent conversation. She hated when they did that, it left her out of the loop and confused. A minute passed and George perked up, turning to look at her. 

"It's nearly lunch," He pointed out. "Why don't we just run out and grab something to eat?"

"And the store?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. 

"Verity and I can manage," Fred assured. 

Millicent pursed her lips, looking between the twins with suspicions creeping through her mind. Had she not been so hungry she probably would've declined the offer if only to thwart their plans. Except that the babies currently wrestling around in her stomach gave a mighty kick to remind her that her body was no longer hers alone and that they demanded to be fed. 

"Alright," She agreed. "But no more than an hour."

George brightened considerably and swooped down to place a chaste peck to her lips. Millicent smiled into the kiss despite herself. 

"I'll get your jacket," He offered.

"It's 74 degrees outside George," Millicent frowned. 

"I'm not risking you get a cold."

She only rolled her eyes, "Well then get my wand as well."

George gave her a cheeky grin and nodded, turning once more and making his way across the store. Millicent watched him go, a love-filled smile fighting its way onto her face. Fred watched the exchange with amusement. 

"He's completely obsessed with you," He chuckled and Millicent turned toward him, grinning herself now.

The last time Fred had told her that was when she and George first began dating. 

She'd stopped by the store for a quick hello on her way in from shopping at Diagon Alley except that she hadn't actually been shopping, she just wanted an excuse to see him. Fred had been manning the floor when she approached, asking for his other half and he'd lifted an eyebrow, impressed that she'd been able to tell the difference. He gave a quick shout to Verity, telling her to call for George who was in the back, before turning back to her and smiling down. 

It'd been the first time they had met since the Battle of Hogwarts where he'd pulled her into a tight hug in thanks for saving George from a group of Death Eaters. "He's completely obsessed with you, you know," Fred told with a smirk. "Never seen him like this about a bird." Millicent hadn't had a chance to respond, Fred had walked away right as George walked up, looking happy that she had stopped by to see him. 

"Good," She told him now. "I'm completely obsessed with him too."

"You ready love?" George asked, coming up beside her once more with her jacket and wand clutched in one of his hands, the free one held out to her as an offering. 

She nodded and grabbed the free hand, saying a quick good-bye to Fred, who only winked in response, and let herself be dragged from the store by her boyfriend. 

Diagon Alley wasn't nearly as crowded as it would've been on a weekend. It was only Tuesday and still early enough that people weren't out for shopping yet. Still, several vendors made themselves busy with the few customers that occupied the bazaar-like street. 

George whistled a tune she was unfamiliar with as they walked, swinging their hands between them and she nearly giggled at the sight of him, looking so ridiculously happy just to be outside. 

Millicent had chosen a small cafe for them to dine in, practically dragging George inside by their intertwined hands. Not that he would've put up much of a fight when she pouted at him for nearly denying her request of a club sandwich and iced tea. There was a short argument in which he'd managed to convince her to get a green tea instead but she would maintain for years to come that it was only because she had been so desperate for sustenance. 

The Weasley watched with lovestruck eyes as Millicent danced happily in her seat at having received her plate of chips, the babies loved chips, in complete amazement of the woman before him. In a month's time, she'd be giving birth to his children. Which brought him to the reason he'd wanted to get her out for an early lunch rather than having stolen her away at their normal hour. 

"Have you picked your names?" George asked, stopping her in her motions. 

Millicent frowned, "I thought we agreed to not name them until they got here?"

He gave her a charming smile but the frown did not budge and George sighed, "It was only a question love."

Millicent's brows furrowed then and she dropped the chip back onto her plate. At this point, she knew George nearly as well as Fred did and she knew that he wouldn't have brought it up unless something was bothering him. She also knew herself well enough that she wouldn't leave him to be bothered all alone. 

"I've thought about some names," She admitted, watching for his reaction with a calculated gaze. "Have you?"

"I want to know if you want to name the babies after your parents," George blurted quickly and Millicent's eyes widened significantly.

A tense silence hung over the couple while his words were being processed. George watched in worry of her response, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek. 

"No," Was the only answer she gave.

George blinked, "No, what?"

Millicent gave a heavy sigh, looking down at her plate of food which now seemed incredibly unappealing, "No, I don't want to name the babies for my parents."

"You... don't?" George repeated, as if worried he'd heard her incorrectly.

"No George," She frowned before repeating herself. "I do not want to name the babies for my parents." 

"Oh," He paused. "I thought that maybe because - "

"Because my parents are dead that I'll want to name our children after them?" She finished, tilting her head to the side. 

George blushed, ear and neck turning red, but nodded. 

"Well," Millicent continued. "It isn't that I haven't thought about it but, I've just decided it isn't something that I want to do."

The conversation was seemingly over after that. They continued to their meals, the twins quickly sharing with their mother that they were still hungry with some more swift kicks, and discussed other things. 

George watched how excited she got when she spoke about new ideas that she had come up with for the store, face getting bright like a child on Christmas, and nearly sighed in content. There was something so pure about the love he found he held for the woman across from him, a feeling nearly unrivaled. Millicent was his family now and he'd come to learn that, that fact quite excited him. 

When lunch was through they made their way back to the joke shop, walking slowly with her arm rested in the crook of his elbow. Diagon Alley had become busy in the time they had locked themselves in the small cafe for a few moments of solace and the shop was nearly full when they arrived. 

With a wit that nearly made his head spin, Millicent had convinced George to let her get back to work and ended the conversation with a kiss that forced fireworks to go off behind his eyes. She slinked away from him after leaving him breathless and swaying slightly where he stood. It took several seconds for his eyes to refocus on anything but her retreating figure and by the time they had all he could hear was Fred calling for him to help at the register which was soon taken over by Millicent. 

Later that night, when the shop had long since been closed and Fred had gone home to his wife and Teddy, George burst into their bedroom, tearing Millicent's focus from the books she was going over. 

She nearly burst into laughter at the sight of him. His face, neck, and arms were all covered in olive green paint, the color the nursery was being painted, his hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail, and his eyes wild. His shirt was splattered with paint as well and there was a paintbrush clutched in his hand.

"Hello," She greeted, amused. 

"I've got it!" He cried.

"Paint all over your clothes," She nodded. "Yes, you do and you better not be getting any on my floors."

"No," George rolled his eyes. "Not that."

Realizing he was being serious, Millicent pushed the papers aside to give him full attention. She'd been sat up in the middle of their king-sized bed, cradling the glass which held the milkshake George had made for her after dinner, and going over the books for the store. It was one of the few things that the twins had let her help with once she'd gotten pregnant and she was quite good at it. 

"What then?" She asked, taking a sip from the straw. George made the best milkshakes. 

"The names for the twins," He insisted and Millicent's mouth twisted. 

"What are the names?" She asked, almost cautiously. If he requested naming both of their children Bob again because 'It'd be funny' she would throw a pillow at his face. 

"Osiris for a boy, Isis for a girl." 

Millicent blinked, "You’re aware they're husband and wife, right?"

"They're also twins," George insisted. "Remember when we went to that museum?"

At the beginning of their relationship, when things had just been made official, George had taken her to a museum she couldn't even remember the name of because they'd opened an exhibit on Ancient Egypt. Millicent had nearly cried with happiness at the surprise and thanked him a million times over.

"I remember when we met you told me how much you loved living in Egypt as a kid," He'd told her. 

"Georgie I told you that on our first date."

George only shrugged and she'd kissed him, right there in the entrance hall of the museum, before dragging him through the exhibit. He listened with his one ear and a look of pure admiration as she took her time to point out each artifact and told him the story behind it, told him about all the Gods that the Ancient Egyptians had worshipped and their tales. 

It was that night George realized that he'd fallen completely and irreversibly in love with Millicent Bulstrode and that he probably would be for the rest of his life.

"Yes, I remember," Millicent replied, smiling with fondness at the memory. 

"So why not name the babies after them?" George asked.

Millicent paused, mauling it over in her mind. It was sweet, how George had remembered something like that and there was no doubt he'd chosen the names based on her heritage, which he had always been happy to keep her in touch with. The names were beautiful and he had made sure that they represented something special to her. 

"Alright," She decided. 

"Alright?" He repeated hopefully. 

"Alright," She nodded. "Osiris and Isis, it is."

She looked up at him, "I love it, Georgie."

George grinned at that, crossing the room to get to her and bending down to kiss her, fully and happily. Millicent smiled against his lips before returning the kiss, lifting herself up onto her knees so that they would reach each other easier. When they pulled away his face was lit by a goofy smile and Millicent laughed at the sight. 

"I love you," He told her. 

"I love you too," She whispered happily. "Now get out, you're going to get paint on the sheets."

He corrected his stance quickly, saluting her before marching from their bedroom and across the hall to where the nursery would be. Millicent had suggested they use magic to decorate the room but George refused, saying that he wanted to do it all by hand, and had since spent months building, painting, and measuring with his brothers to make sure it was all set up when the babies got here. They'd had to buy an extra of everything when they learned that they would be having twins but George had been ecstatic at the news. 

The walls were color-coordinated, every other being painted olive green, and the others painted a beige to match the ceiling. The cribs were made of brass but charmed so that the babies couldn't hurt themselves, the curtains and carpet were a deep Burgundy with black and gold accents. There were two overstuffed recliners in front of the window where they'd be able to sit with the twins once they arrived. 

George had done wonderfully on the room and Millicent fallen in love with it as soon as she’d seen it despite her insistence that he could've gotten it done in half the time had he chosen to use magic. But she knew the man she'd fallen in love with and she knew that he wouldn't. 

George Weasley truly was a stubborn bastard through and through but he was her stubborn bastard and she would not have it any other way.


	32. Dean Thomas x Ginny Weasley; "First Love"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Contains mature themes. As previously stated, Dean uses he/they pronouns.

The tips of their fingers were stained with charcoal and their hand had begun to cramp from the angle at which it held the pencil but before them, she came alive on the canvas. Shadows hung from the sketched eyes and freckles resembled constellations that could never be reached. With their fingers, she was brought to life. 

Her neck had begun to ache from the angle in which she'd been instructed to hold it. They'd been here for over three hours and Dean was still hard at work, seeming so lost to the reality in which she resided that she wondered if he would ever come back. 

There were lanterns lit that saved them from the darkness and illuminated Ginny just enough for her to seen. It excited her, the thought that someone found her so beautiful they had no choice but to immortalize her spirit with their own hands. She would live forever amongst his pages. 

They both knew that what they had would not last. Love like the one they shared was not something that lived beyond the land of 16, only something to tell their future kids should they ask about first loves. Love like their's only lasted amongst pages. 

Ginny knew how Seamus felt for Dean and she knew how Dean felt for Seamus. But she also knew how Dean felt for her and it felt so utterly good to be selfish for once, like warm water running down her back on a cold night. Only with them was she selfish and she chose to be every time she sank her teeth into his bottom lip and introduced them to a love that they'd share with their future children should they ask about first loves. 

Dean knew well enough that Ginny wasn't someone they'd be able to tie down. Perhaps someone would one day, they believed that she would find love that lasted but it would not be with them. They would be her love that did not live past the land of 16 and that was okay because it was enough. 

Because Ginny loved Dean and Dean loved Ginny. 

"Are you almost through?" She asks softly. It is only in moments like this, only with them that she allows herself be soft. 

"Already am," He claims, eyes still trained hard onto the paper in his hands.

She sits up quickly, pulling her robe closer, "Can I see it?"

When Dean nods she stands from the couch which she'd been laid upon and makes her way over toward them, in the chair they'd inhabited since arriving in the room. They pull her into her lap, her legs curling up from habit and she grabs the sketchbook from their hands. The sight leaves her speechless. 

Upon the pages is someone Ginny is sure she’s never seen before. 

Someone with eyes containing fire and hair which flows in every direction, framing their face like it were a portrait. Someone with lips like seas to be parted and swam in and curves like great plains to be frolicked upon. With their hands, they've made her immortal in an image of surreality. 

Ginny manages to pull her gaze from the page only long enough to whisper, "I love it."

A smile pulls at the corner of Dean's lips and he is glad that she loves it, wonders if perhaps she might begin to see herself the same way he did. 

"Is this really how you view me?" She mumbles, eyes once again glued to the paper. 

"Yes," Is the only response offered and her chest grows warm because she'd never been adored like this before and it was a strange feeling, to say the least. 

They will never say that they love each other because what they feel for each other isn't the love written in history books. It is a love between two people who light the flame under one another to prepare them for the ones that will take the flame and turn it to Hellfire. It is a love someone should tell stories to their children about should they ask about first loves and that is immortalized amongst pages with fingers upon pages that will someday be locked away as nothing more than a memory. 

With the joining of their lips, they once again light the flame under each other for their true loves to envelop into full Hellfire. 

They both know that what they share will not last but when she bites down into his lip neither of them cares and for a second there is only bliss. For another second she allows herself to be selfish and relishes in the feeling of warm water running down her back on a cold night because it causes her to shiver. Dean belongs to Seamus but for this moment, he is hers. And she will take all that she can get. 

Life goes on around them, a party at Gryffindor tower to celebrate their latest win that they will stumble into after emerging from their sanctuary, still wrapped completely within one another until they will venture upstairs for more bliss. 

Until the day comes upon them when they must separate and find others to love them better than they do each other, or themselves, there is only them. Until reality crashes in and ruins all that makes them happy, tearing apart the perfect world they've built with each other, there is only them. Until the end of their personal nirvana, there is only them and it is good. 

Ginny decides that night, wrapped in a blanket of darkness and her robe, with her teeth buried into his bottom lip and silence protecting them, that she loves Dean Thomas and she always will. She will love him when he leaves her and she will love him when he realizes Seamus Finnegan is his soulmate and she will love him when her bones fade to dust. 

No one's ever adored her like this. Only with them does she allow herself to be soft. 

Dean decides that night, wrapped in a blanket of darkness and their jumper, with her teeth buried into their bottom lip and silence protecting them, that they adore Ginny Weasley and they always will. They will adore her when she is at her rock bottom and they will adore her when she leaves them and they will her adore her when she finds the one she is destined to love until the end of time and they will adore her when their bones fade to dust.

No one's ever loved them like this. Only with her do they allow their fingers to bring life. 

Only for Dean, will Ginny part her lips like the seas he's created, to swim in. Only for Ginny will Dean stain his fingers to create fire behind eyes and curves like great plains. 

Loves like these are so often terrifying. The first tug on the heartstrings will leave thick scars across their chest to mark them as damaged, used. First loves to light a flame for those who will create Hellfire. But that's okay. It is okay if they hurt her or she hurts them. Because they understand each other.

Because Dean adores Ginny and Ginny loves Dean. 

Life makes them hard, like dried cement, and with open arms do they envelop each other and return the one they adore or love to the weakened state in which they entered the World. It is a powerful thing to be able to do that to someone and they both know it. They both enjoy it. 

"D'you reckon anyone will notice if we don't show up?" Dean asks, eyes glassy and hands cradling her side so that she won't slip from his lap.

"I do," Ginny mumbles, pressing a final kiss from his lips. "I'm on the team, remember?"

They groan and Ginny chuckles before lifting herself from her spot upon them, reaching to grab the clothes that had been shed when they arrived. Dean watches with a heavily lidded gaze as she pulls them back on and gives her a smile which makes butterflies flutter in her stomach when their eyes meet. She doesn't mind them so much, the butterflies. 

"C'mon lover man," Ginny grins, doing her best to pull him from the chair by his hands though she knows her efforts are futile. "Back to the real world, we go."

Things go according to plan in the real world. They travel back to Gryffindor tower where a celebration is in full swing, the picture of Ginny tucked into Dean's back pocket, and wrap themselves in each other by the fireplace. They travel upstairs where Seamus is and the butterflies in Ginny's stomach almost die when she sees the look on his face at catching them together. 

They reemerge when Dean places kisses upon her neck. Once again does she decide to be selfish because she's almost never selfish and she so adores the feeling of warm water running down her back on a cold night. Dean knows exactly why his heart aches when he watches Seamus flee from the room, jaw clenched, except that in his arms is the one he adores, and that will be enough for him right now. Right now he is just as inclined to be selfish as she is. 

Together they make stories that they won't tell their children when they will inevitably ask about first loves years from now. Together he immortalizes her on pages with his fingers to be locked away. Together they would share a love that didn't make it past the land of 16 and that was perfectly okay.


	33. "Green&White"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is set during The Goblet Of Fire. Requested by Papertowels23

Hermione gave a wince at the last tug of her baby hairs, flinching away from the hands. She was met with the smack of a comb to her already sensitive scalp and it felt as though someone had poured hot water directly onto her cranium. With an audible grumble of displeasure, she jerked her head farther away and was met with another smack, this time on her ear.

“You’re the one who wanted canerows!” Star reminded.

“That doesn’t mean you get to abuse me!” Hermione shot back, flinching away for what was now the third time.

There was numbness settling into her thighs and butt from sitting on the floor for so long. It felt as though TV static were living in her limbs and she hoped against all logic that Star finished the last three braids quickly.

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a giant prick - “ The accusation had flown from Ron’s mouth rather loudly forcing Hermione to lift her head from the book seated in her lap.

“Do you know what they’re fighting about?” Ginny asked Harry, who sat beside her on Ron’s bed.

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head with eyes still focused on the quarreling brothers. “They’ve been like this for almost an hour though.”

“What about you two?” Ginny asked the girls, leaning over Harry to Star, who sat on his other side with Hermione between her legs on the hard floor.

Both girls shook their heads, “We got here the same time as you Gin.” Hermione reminded.

The argument seemed to pick up now, Ron’s face turning a bright enough red that it almost matched his hair. Fred seemed just as peeved, shouting back at his younger brother with venom. George stood behind his twin, only jumping in when he seemed to deem necessary, and looking simply enthralled at the aspect of just being involved. Everyone else had deemed the situation amusing enough to watch, sitting back to see the scenario unfold.

The siblings were so focused on their bickering that they hadn’t noticed the arrival of Bill, Charlie, or Percy, who’d come in and walked straight past them to the group settled on Ronald’s bed.

“What’s going on?” Bill questioned, vision settled on the group of kids who had chosen to sit back and watch rather than get involved.

“We couldn’t tell you if we wanted to,” Star responded, not breaking focus from the fight nor the braids she wove with Hermione’s curls.

Bill and Charlie shared a look of interest at the response, Star hadn’t spoken much to either of them since her arrival with Harry this morning. They’d both deemed her interesting enough to get to know at the stories their younger siblings had shared with them before she’d come to the Burrow and they had made her seem fascinating. This was one of the first times she’d actually addressed either of them.

“No one’s thought to ask?” Percy inquired, having taken a seat next to Ginny on the bed and shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“We’ve been too busy watching,” Ginny replied, grabbing herself a handful of the treat from the bowl which sat in Percy’s lap.

“They’ve been like this since we came back,” Harry told them, eyes drifting from the argument.

After dinner and the fireworks show had been all said and done with, the table cleared and put away, Molly had sent the younger children upstairs to make sure that they were all packed for tomorrow. Mr. Weasley had managed to score 10 tickets to the Quidditch World Cup which meant that Harry, Hermione, and Star were allowed to come along. The boys had all gone to Ron’s room for a game of Wizard’s Chess and the girls had gone into Ginny’s room, where they were staying, to talk and prepare.

“How long have they been going?” Charlie asked, watching as sparks flew from the tip of Fred’s wand in his frustration.

“Least an hour,” Hermione decided, not lifting her focus from the thick tomb of a book that Harry had gifted her as a late birthday present.

“OI,” Ginny finally cried, causing her brothers to pause in their argument and give her their attention. “What are you bums going on about?”

There was a lapse in the discussion, the entire room had gone silent. Ron, George, and Fred, who were on one side of the room, shared a look, seemingly brought together as a team by the question. Bill, Harry, Charlie, Star, Ginny, Hermione, and Percy, who sat on the other side of the room, watched expectantly for someone to answer them. All at once, the boys started up again, beginning to yell over each other in order to push their narrative first.

“Alright, alright, we’ll get to the root of the problem because it seems that no one can express themselves in a healthy way in this household,” Percy began, standing from his seat and waving his hands in front of him as though they were a checkered flag.

Both Hermione and Star threw him insulted looks but he stared back toward them with a straight face as if to say neither of them had any right to disagree with the statement.

“Oldest to youngest,” Percy declared.

“Well it all started when Charlie was born,” Bill sighed, only to be met with a punch on the bicep from said brother.

“I meant them, Bill,” Percy glared, gesturing toward their younger siblings which still stood on the other side of the room.

“Ron’s being an ass -" Fred began.

“How am I being the ass?” Ron cut in, outraged, the argument once again starting back up.

“So much for healthy expression,” Harry stated, watching the bickering increase.

“Truth be told I didn’t have much hope for that approach,” Percy gave a heavy sigh.

“What if we throw them in the backyard with beater’s bats and whoever comes out with no broken limbs wins the argument?” Ginny suggested.

“That's how my grandma would get my brother and me to stop pulling out each other's hair,” Star threw out.

“Your grandmother isn’t exactly the go-to parenting expert.” Hermione reminded.

“You should’ve seen what mum had us do when we were kids,” Bill defended before shuddering along with Charlie at the memory.

“Alright, they’re picking at my last nerve now,” Star decided before raising her voice. “All of you shut it!”

Silence reigned and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself, “Now George, tell us what happened.”

“Gladly,” He grinned. “It seems that Ronniekins here believes that Bulgaria has a better chance at winning the cup over Ireland tomorrow.”

Both Hermione and Percy gave audible groans of displeasure at this. Neither were huge fans of the sport and the only reason Percy was actually going was that it would’ve been too awkward for him to have gone with Oliver and risk running into his family while there. Star enjoyed watching the sport but not enough to keep track of teams and have a favorite.

“This whole thing has been about Quidditch?” Hermione asked in disbelief, too distracted to give notice to the pull of her hair now.

“That’s right dearest,” Fred threw out causing Hermione to blush slightly at the nickname. “Because Bulgaria sucks.”

Ron opened his mouth to begin again when Ginny threw a pillow at his face, demanding complete attention from the room. She stood from her seat on the bed, nearly toppling the now-empty bowl of popcorn from her lap, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “This was the most anti-climactic thing I’ve ever witnessed and I have been forced to sit through an entire M Night Shymalan movie,” She declared. “I’m going to bed.”

“We’re coming with you,” Star told, tapping Hermione on the shoulder to signal that she could get up. “I’ve got to put the mousse in ‘Mione’s hair and then we can smoke.”

The boys all gave her wicked grins, forgetting the argument, specifically the twins and Harry. Star gave them a look of annoyance, wondering why she had agreed to stay over in the first place. Right, because Ron had begged her to.

“Fuck off,” She grumbled, walking from the room with Ginny.

“Night,” Hermione grinned, ignoring the pounding feeling of her head before walking from the room along with her friends.

For a moment nothing was said before Ron furrowed his brows in realization and turned to his twin brothers, “Get out of my room!” He ordered, pointing toward the door.

Both twins frowned at him, “You live in an attic.” George snapped before walking out.

“This was such a waste of time,” Percy sighed, following George out the door.

“I can’t wait to go back to work,” Charlie claimed, leaving from the room.

“C’mon Freddie,” Bill said, walking toward his younger brother and throwing an arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Let’s go play a game of exploding snap.”

Fred frowned, “I don’t want to play exploding sna -" He was cut off by Bill dragging him from the room.

“Night boys,” Bill threw to Harry and Ron from over his shoulder before shutting the door behind them.

“What was that for?” Fred complained, rubbing the back of his neck from where Bill had dragged him.

“Why were you really arguing?” Bill asked, walking down the hallway with his brother.

Fred frowned again, “We already told you.”

“Like you two would get into it like that over Quidditch.” Bill rolled his eyes.

“Tell me the truth or I’ll tell mum it was you and not Ginny who let the garden gnomes into the house last year.” He threatened, watching Fred’s eyes grow large.

Fred responded, albeit unwillingly, his eyes trained to the floor. “We were arguing over what colors the girls got to wear.”

Bill nodded in understanding, “Because you’re in love with them.”

“What?!” Fred cried, neck nearly snapping from how quickly he looked up. “What are you talking about?”

Bill cocked his head to the side, “You haven’t been able to take your eyes off of, what’s her name; Hermione? Since she walked through the floo yesterday and George has been stealing that Star girl away from Ron every chance he could get, which Ron seems to be taking very personally.”

Fred gave his brother a look of utter shock, nearly unable to process what had just been said. He began to shake his head, ready to deny it but Bill only rose an eyebrow in question and he felt all the fight deflate from his chest. He was tired from arguing with Ron all that time.

“Say there were feelings there,” He offered. “What do you suggest we do?”

“Take it from me,” Bill responded, clapping an arm down onto Fred’s shoulder. “It’s better sooner than later because later really means never.”

“So you think that we should start making the feelings known?”

“Is that not what I just said?” Bill asked, exasperated. “Are you really that thick?”

Fred only rolled his eyes, “Thanks, Bill.”

“No problem little brother,” He grinned in response. “Now go to bed, you lot have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Fred only nodded, wishing his eldest brother a good night, before making his way to the bedroom which he shared with his twin. Instead of sleeping the two sat up, Fred relaying Bill’s message to George who seemed to have internalized it. A plan was hatched and by the time they’d gone to bed that night, there was nothing that could be done except to wait.

“Do you think I’m a bad friend?” George asked, laid in bed and staring at the ceiling of the darkroom.

“In what aspect?” Fred threw back, also staring at the ceiling.

“I’ve got feelings for my best mates girl,” George reminded, breathing a heavy sigh as he spoke the words out loud.

Fred turned to look at his twin, “I think that if Lee acted half as smart as he was, he’d never have given her the chance to wander.”

The next day the youngest children of the Burrow were woken at the ass crack of dawn and told they were to walk up two hills. They were greeted by Amos and Cedric Diggory, who gave short hugs to both Hermione and Star which only succeeded in fueling the twin's hatred of the otherwise innocent Hufflepuff. Once settled into their tent at the campgrounds, Mr. Weasley had told them they were able to wander so long as they stuck close together and were back before lunch.

They’d all boughten trinkets and were back by the time sandwiches were set out on the table. Percy, Charlie, and Bill had arrived only a few minutes before and joined them to eat. When lunch was over; Percy had gone to find Oliver, Charlie had laid for a nap, Arthur slipping away to speak with a co-worker and Bill had agreed to chaperone the kids until it was time for the match to begin.

When night had fallen and it was time for the match to actually begin, everyone had gathered their things together in order to grab the merchandise they planned to wear to the game.

Ginny had painted Irish colors on Charlie, George, and Fred’s faces, the Bulgarian colors on Ron, Harry, and Bill’s. Charlie had made sure to paint the Irish colors on her as well while the twins held her arms so that she couldn’t smack the dye away. There were hats and scarves of red, black, green, and white passed around, everyone grabbing the color for whichever team they’d chosen to represent.

Uncaringly, Hermione had gone to reach for a red and black set because it was what her friends were wearing before she felt a slight tug on her arm. Turning back, it was Fred who had gotten ahold of her wrist and was smiling slightly, butterflies running rampant in his stomach. All he was met with was a look of confusion and he’d nearly backed out of the plan.

“You don’t want those,” He told her, holding out a green and white scarf that matched the set he currently wore. “These would look better on you anyway.”

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at that but nodded slowly, taking the scarf with the caution of whether or not she was being pranked. “This won’t dye my neck a different color, will it?”

Fred nearly pouted, “Do you really think that low of me?”

When all she gave was a disbelieving look he sighed, “It won’t do anything, I swear.”

Though still unbelieving, Hermione examined the scarf closer. When nothing terrible happened she wound the scarf around her neck and looked up at him, “How do I look?”

It was an innocent and straightforward enough question. Except that Fred really couldn’t breathe because she was looking him directly in the eyes and she’d never done that before and he never noticed the flecks of Gold inside the whiskey-colored prisons and her hair was away from her face for once because of the braids which looked so nice on her and exposed her features in ways he'd never seen. It was only when he’d been slapped on the back by a passing Charlie, who’d been made aware of the situation by Bill, that he had regained the ability to use his lungs and he nodded.

“Stunning,” He answered with a cheeky grin.

Hermione’s cheeks warmed slightly but she nodded in response, sending a smile of her own before stepping away, back to her friends.

George had been too slow to reach Star and when he finally found her, she was wearing a black and red scarf. When the group had filed from the tent and began their walk toward the stadium, he managed to grab hold of her and pull her a little ways away from the group. She stared at him, eyes wide with bewilderment and he began to nervously chew the inside of his cheek.

“So you went with Bulgaria?” He asked, making it seem as though he were trying to make conversation whilst they walked.

Star nodded, “Don’t know much about them,” She admitted. “But Ron says they're good.”

“Ron also says the Chudley Cannons are the best in the league,” George scoffed.

“Well I don’t know much about them either,” Star teased and George almost blushed at her tone of voice.

“You look good in red,” He commented and Star’s eyes shifted toward him.

“Good thing I’m in Gryffindor then,” She joked.

“Was there any other option?” George questioned.

Star shrugged, “According to the sorting hat I could’ve been good for Slytherin or Hufflepuff too,” She smiled at him then. “Though I do look pretty great in yellow.”

“Not green?”

Star’s nose scrunched and George laughed.

“I’ve thought about it,” She says. “Draco probably would’ve been thrilled, not so sure about … Harry and Ron though.”

She had almost said her dad.

“Besides,” Star adds. “Not sure how good I look in green.”

George smiles, “Want to try?”

She looks at him confused, face weary, but nods because she is Sirius Black’s daughter and she is nothing if not curious. George unravels his scarf from his neck slowly as Star watches, stomach-turning with hope and disbelief. Stopping the girl in her tracks, George removes the red and black scarf which had been hanging loosely off of her shoulders and begins to wrap the green and white scarf around her, her breath hitching at their close proximity.

George’s eyes rake over her face, the cool air bringing a maroon tint to her cheeks despite the darker color of her skin, and can’t help the goofy grin he gets, “Much better, perhaps you belong in Slytherin after all.”

The magic is broken and Star scoffs, pushing his shoulder to distance them. George smirks at her and they continue their walk back toward the group. Star rejoins Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, and George rejoins Fred, Percy, Bill, and Charlie, who all give him congratulatory pats on the back when they see Star is now wearing his scarf.

Star, Ginny, and Hermione whisper to each other when they notice the matching scarf wrapped around their best friend’s next, swapping stories and trying to decipher what the reason was for the twins to have given them the white and green colors.

“Does yours smell like him?” Star whispers, blushing slightly as she wraps the scarf closer and toys with the fringes on the end, unable to help the feeling which flittered into her chest at the scent that came from it.

Hermione grins, “Yes, though I can’t imagine why.”

“Maybe they’re trying to put a love spell on you,” Ginny teases.

“They wouldn’t dare,” Hermione scoffed in disbelief.

“They totally would,” Star disagreed. “I’m not sure that’s what this is though.”

She’d been right, that was not what it was.


	34. Author's Note

I'm going to be rewritting a lot of the earlier chapters, I've already not the first two and they're much better now in my opinion. I will continue to update the stories. 

My Wattpad book is currently under reconstruction but still very active.

This book will also be soon available on Inkett, an update on that will be coming soon.

I've been thinking of writing an actual book from these, turning them all into one long and chronological fic so let me know if that's someone you guys would be interested in seeing.


	35. “Sisters Of The House Of Black”

When Bellatrix Black is three-years-old, she is woken one morning by her father. Her heavily lidded onyx-colored eyes blink open to be met with the view of him standing over her, claiming there is a surprise waiting for her. Assuming it is a new house-elf or perhaps a new toy to add to her collection, she allows him to carry her out of her bedroom and toward the one he shares with her mother. 

Her mother is sat up in bed, sweat sticking her blonde hair to her forehead and face smiling. Mum's eyes are tired and in her arms is a bundle of pink blankets. Bellatrix is brought to her mother's side and when she is finally permitted to look inside the bundle, a small pale face is sticking out of it.

'What is it?' She asks, face twisted in displeasure at the ugly thing looking up at her mother. 

'She is your sister, Bella,' Her mother tells her. 'Her name is Andromeda.'

Bellatrix looks down at the small face once again. It has small, pink lips and a pointy nose like her own. The tiny thing lets lose a mighty yawn and Bella finds she is intrigued by it. 

'I want to hold her,' She declares. 

Under her father's watchful eye is she allowed to cradle the small bundle, similar to how her mother had. The baby shifts inside the blankets and Bellatrix finds that it is much heavier than she would've expected, the weight straining her frail arms. Though the ache is seemingly worth it when the ugly thing blinks open its large eyes so that foggy brown capsules of light meet onyx colored ones.

It is then Bellatrix vows she will always love Andromeda. 

When Andromeda Black is two-years-old she is brought to her mother's bedside. There is a bundle of blankets in her arms and her mum looks tired, drained of life almost. There is a new baby in the house, they explain, she is no longer the youngest. She stands with Bella who has her tiny hand clutched tightly in her slightly larger one. 

They are presented with the child together, each leaning over each other to catch a glimpse of her face. She is fair in every sense of the word, tufts of blonde hair sprouting from her large head and large Grey eyes which she'd inherited from their father. Andromeda is deemed too young to hold the child but Bella allows her to watch from over her shoulder as she cradles the baby close to her body.

'You must make a promise Andy,' Bella informs the toddler. 'That you will always love our little sister. It is the promise I made with you.'

She is not quite sure that she understands. Always sounds like a very long time and she already has spent all her love on Bella and her parents and the dolls gifted to her by her Uncle Orion that she coddles as if they were her children. But the tiny thing in Bella's arms opens its eyes so that Grey meets brown and Andromeda decides that always really isn't all that long.

It is then Andromeda promises she will always love Narcissa.

When Narcissa Black is six-years-old, she stands on Platform 9 3/4 beside Andy. Tears are brimming in her lashes and her pink mouth is set into a firm pout. Bella is due to leave them now, heading off to Hogwarts to begin her education. 

The two younger Black sisters feel the ache of longing in their hearts as Bellatrix boards the train and they are forced to stay with their feet stuck to the platform rather than follow their sister wherever it is she is going. Before she leaves Bella places a kiss on both of their foreheads, hugging them tightly to her body. Narcissa hangs on for a moment longer, not yet ready to let her go. 

'I'll be back for Christmas,' Bella promises and Christmas has never felt farther away to Narcissa. 

'Watch Cissy for me while I'm gone,' Bellatrix whispers to Andromeda during their hug. 'It's your turn to be the big sister.' 

Narcissa watches, not for the last time, as one of her older sisters leaves her and feels Andromeda grab hold of her small hand in her slightly larger one.

Bellatrix is fourteen when Andromeda sits beside her on the Hogwarts Express for the very first time. Narcissa is livid at the fact that she will be all alone in the manor now, forced to wait two years until she is allowed to join her sisters at school. They tell her to have patience, her time will come soon. 

Andy is nervous and Bella can tell that much. She knows her sister better than she knows herself and it is something she'd always been proud of. Bella grabs hold of her hand. 

'You'll do great,' She promises and Andy doesn't seem too nervous after. 

Later Bellatrix watches as Andromeda is sorted into Slytherin. Her heart, usually guarded by titanium, swells with pride at the sight of her younger sister up on the stool with the sorting hat hanging over her foggy brown eyes. Afterward, she is joined by the girl at the Slytherin dinner table, and gives her a large smile. 

Bellatrix couldn't have been prouder of her little sister. 

Andromeda is seventeen when she stands in her room, shoving clothes and perfumes and trinkets into any bag that will fit it. Narcissa is crying and Bellatrix is pleading and the air still hangs heavy with the burning smell of Andromeda's face being blasted from the family tapestry. She forces herself to continue packing as Bella does her best to convince her to see reason. 

'Just leave him, Andy,' She begs. 'Marry Lucius and you can stay with us. You can even stay with Rudolphous and I at the manor!'

The very last thread binding the broken pieces of Andromeda's heart together snaps and the shards are sent flying in every direction throughout the darkness of her chest. Her motions are paused for only a moment before she shoves the last dress into her bag and looks up to meet the onyx eyes that were her first source of comfort, of love. With a blank look, she only shakes her head and no one speaks, there is no real need for words when they all know what is being said. 

'Ted has asked me to marry him once we graduate,' She informs her sisters for the first time. 'I've said yes.'

Narcissa lets loose a gut-wrenching sob from where she stands in the doorway of what had been Andromeda's room. Bellatrix's face falls and the heartache is almost evident amongst the usually blank slate. She is forced to bite back a cry. 

'I've never known you at all, have I?' Bella sounds almost broken at the prospect before her eyes grow cold and the blank slate returns. 'Enjoy your mud blood.' 

She storms from the room leaving only the youngest amongst each other once again as she had all those years ago on the platform at King's Cross Station. Narcissa's eyes are rimmed red with tears and the tip of her nose has turned a healthy pink. She does not beg her sister to stay, she knows what the answer will be. 

Andromeda cannot find it in herself to go with grace. Tears slip from her eyes as she pulls Narcissa close into one last embrace and they clutch each other close, deadly silence surrounding them. Their world begins to crumble around them but at least they can hold each other for the last time. 

'Marry him, Cissy,' Andromeda whispers to her sister, before pulling away from the hug. 'I know that you love him.'

She is given no response and without the bat of an eyelash apparates away, away from the wretched manor, away from the life that had been carved out for her from the moment she was born, away from her sisters. When her eyes open again she stands in Ted Tonks's living room, the house small and bright and warm. When he kisses her upon her arrival she knows that she will always love her sisters but she will never go back.

Andromeda passes Narcissa in the halls of Hogwarts that year, they never make eye contact. 

Narcissa is twenty-four she lays in her bed at Malfoy Manor, clutching tightly to Lucius's hand as pain wracks through her entire body. Despite her husband's presence she still sobs, calling out for Bella because she is bringing life into this world and she is scared and she wants the love she'd been promised since the day she was born. Her wails echo through the halls of the large palace she now calls home. 

Bellatrix arrives at her younger sister's side just in time. Sitting behind her, the blonde's head resting on her chest, Bellatrix murmurs encouragement in Narcissa's ear because she is strong and she knows that this is nothing that she cannot handle. Their husbands stand together at the bedside, eyes filled with terror.

'I can't do it,' Narcissa cries, clutching hard to the fabric of Bellatrix's dress as their husbands continue to do nothing but watch on in distress. 'Bella I can't do it.'

'You can do it,' Bellatrix argues, grabbing hold of her baby sister's dainty hand. 'You've got no other choice.'

'It hurts,' Narcissa whimpers before taking a deep, raspy intake of breath. 'I want Andy.'

Bellatrix pauses at the mention of the name. Her heart gives a shuddering beat and she can hear Narcissa's whimpers growing louder before said woman gives loose a blood-curdling scream that makes the hair on her arms stand. She is used to screams but they almost sound different when they come to her sisters. Andromeda had always been better at making people feel better.

'I miss her too,' Bellatrix admits into her ear. 'Do it for Andy, Cissa. She'll be so proud.'

With one last push that sends pain shooting through her sides, a Malfoy heir is born. The room is filled with loud wails that do not belong to Narcissa but instead a child with his father's hair and mother's eyes. Once the child is cleaned off it is handed to Narcissa who cradles the bundle of blue blankets to her chest and tears well in the Grey capsules of light that match perfectly the ones looking up at her. He is born and he is glorious. 

It is Narcissa's turn to promise to always love something. 

When Bellatrix Lestrange is thirty one- years- old her entire world shatters. She is sent to Azkaban for working as a follower of the Dark Lord and the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom. She laughs as she is hauled away by Aurors, an empty sound that sends chills down the back of anyone to hear it. When news breaks of her Lord's death she lets loose wails of pain, whatever lasting bit of her sanity that had existed was now broken and once someone has delved off of a cliff, it is not possible to save them.

Not a day later does she watch as her younger cousin is dragged into the prison as well and her heartstrings twinge with pain. She'd had high hopes for him, him, and Andy. They could've ended up so much better than her and Regulus. 

When the first blanket of night falls, marking a full 24 hours since Sirius Black is brought into Azkaban, she whispers to him through the walls and he hears her. They've always hated each other. But it's hard not to grasp at straws in a place like that. 

'You could've been great,' She tells him.

'You could've too,' He says back and she is forced into silence. No one ever told her that before. 

Bellatrix Lestrange could've been great. 

Andromeda Tonks is forty two-years-old when the second wizarding world begins. This time her child is at the front lines. The child she's raised from a newborn with a kaleidoscope of hair colors joins the resistance against the people who she left when she was only a teenager. 

She is reunited with her cousin, the only other person in their family to understand why she left because he left himself. Andromeda sits on the sidelines and watches as the world begins to unfold, once again watching a reality she had grown so accustomed to falling apart around her. All because of that evil man. She watches the Daily Prophet report on the escape of her sister and months later the arrest of the man she had almost been forced to marry, the one her younger sister did marry.

There is no way to tell what will come from this war. So many lives were lost in the first one and now with Nymphadora in the Order, there was no guarantee to her child's safety. Andromeda remembers that Narcissa has a child now as well, a boy, only a few weeks older than Sirius's daughter. She wonders if her sister shares her fears or if she believes he is safe considering the side of the war they are on. 

For reasons that she cannot explain, Andromeda begins to hug her husband tighter before he leaves for work. She stops by randomly to check on Nymphadora at their flat, her heart beating faster every time she rushes in out of fear that she will walk in on something that will destroy her. War has no qualms or morals, it takes out those who get directly in its path without much care for who it is. 

This is only affirmed when she learns of Sirius's death. And when she learns that Bellatrix is the one who's killed him. She does not know the girl, could not tell anyone her middle name, but she finds her cousin, the daughter of the only one who had ever understood her, and she holds her tight as she cries. War destroys whoever steps in its path. 

'Is everything alright mum?' Her darling Nymphadora asks, watching her mother who'd been staring out the window for almost five whole minutes. 

Andromeda blinks before turning to her child, standing before her with confusion and worry written clear as day amongst their face, 'I'm not sure darling.' 

Andromeda Tonks learns to fear time itself as the arrow marches forward, counting down the moments until she will lose everything.

Narcissa Malfoy is forty three-years-old when she loses control over her home. It has become a honing point for Death Eaters when previously it had only been the place where she'd raised her son, where she loved her husband. Everything had slipped between her fingers so quickly. 

She watches as her older sister tortures the child of the cousin they had both always admired for his bravery, the cousin she'd killed. She watches the pained look that takes over her son's look when he watches what becomes of his cousin, tears rolling down his cheeks at the sounds of her agony-filled screams. Afterward, she leans over the child, rested on her knees as she heals the girl's wounds. 

They sit in silence as it is done, Narcissa wiping away the girl's blood with a rag she dips in a bowl of warm water over and over again until her body is mostly clean and the bowl is filled with mostly dirt and blood. Steel Grey eyes watch her as she heals the child and when she finally raises her gaze to look the girl in the face she is forced to fight back a shiver. Eyes like her father, eyes like her, eyes like her son, eyes like her uncle, eyes like Sirius. 

'You look like your father,' Narcissa croaks, eyes turning glassy. 'You're beautiful like he was.'

The girl says nothing in response and that is expected. Her throat is raw from the screams of pain and there is nothing to say. How tired she was of there being nothing to say. 

'He would've been proud of you,' Narcissa whispers, unsure of why she continues talking as she begins twisting the now dirty rag in her hands if only to stop them from trembling. 'He was always so brave.'

'Your sister killed him,' The girl, Star, rasps. She blinks up at her cousin's mother and finally asks, 'Why are you doing this?' 

Narcissa gives a heavy sigh and it sounds like her bones are rattling with her, 'I couldn't save Sirius, or Regulus or ... Ted. I couldn't even save Lucius or Draco. But I can save you and I can save your friends.'

Silver eyes rake over her face, 'Why do you want to save me?'

'I've lost my sisters and my cousins,' Narcissa whispers. 'And I don't want Draco to lose you.'

Narcissa Malfoy had only ever wanted to save everyone. 

On May 2nd, 1998, Bellatrix Black is killed by Neville Frank Longbottom. She is hit in the back with the curse during a battle with Star Savannah Rose-Black and crumples to her knees. She is dead before she hits the ground. 

On May 2nd, 1998, Andromeda Black kills Rudulphous Lestrange in a duel. He killed her husband four months earlier. Later she is told Nymphadora Tonks Lupin has been killed, along with their husband, at the hands of Bellatrix Black.

On May 2nd, 1998, Narcissa Black betrays everyone she has ever known. She betrays her sister, she betrays her husband, she betrays her side and she betrays the Dark Lord, to ensure that her son is safe. She is met later by Andromeda Black who shares with her the news of their sister's death. 

And so ends the tale of the sisters of the House of Black.


	36. Lavender Brown x Katie Bell; “I Love You”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More chapters will be coming soon, sorry for the wait. 
> 
> Keep commenting, they make me so happy & I love listening to feedback & suggestions!

The wind had picked up quite a bit earlier and was beginning to whip her loose hairs in every direction. Some had fallen free from the French braid she’d pulled them back into, allowing them the opportunity to slap her straight in the face as she cut through the air upon her broom, her hands tightly gripping to the handle with the steadiness of someone who’d been riding since they were young enough to remember. When another gust hit, she was forced to stop and steady herself so she would not be knocked off, allowing herself to rest as her legs dangled in the air.

There was a brief lull in the breeze that allowed her to turn and look over at the stands. Unable to fight her grin, she was met with the sight of Lavender, sitting there and watching as she flew around the pitch in circles. With a slight turn, she began on the path toward the bleachers, soaring a little faster than she should’ve to reach her girlfriend much sooner. Lavender’s face lit up with glee when she finally realized Katie was approaching her and stood quickly from her seat, walking over toward the banister that she had since arrived at. 

“You looked amazing, love,” Lavender complimented, eyes having turned watery from the cold.

“You can go inside you know,” The older girl reminded, sitting back on her broom and taking note of her lover’s nose and cheeks, which had turned a bright red. “I don’t want you to sit here and freeze.”

Lavender shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body despite herself, “I don’t mind it, I like to watch you practice.”

The weather had dropped quickly since their arrival at Hogwarts that year, becoming colder much faster than it had in previous years. Perhaps even the clouds were aware of the darkness looming just over the horizon or perhaps it was all in their heads and time seemed to be flying past lately. Whatever the reason, most students had taken to wearing multiple layers to fight off the frigid weather. 

Katie gave a small smile, biting down on her lower lip as she took in the sight of Lavender, sitting amongst empty benches in a thick jumper and boots just to watch her practice. The girl looked almost giddy, just to sit there because of how much she liked to be around her. Leaning forward on her broom, forcing it to move closer toward the banister, Katie unraveled the purple scarf her grandmother had gifted her from around her neck, moving even closer to wrap it around Lavender. 

“Meet me on the field,” She instructed, leaning in to press a short peck upon her lips. “We can go into the village and run into Madame Puddifoot’s.” 

To be completely clear, Katie Bell very much hated Madame Puddifoot’s, despised it, almost with a passion, really, but Lavender had always adored the small tea shop. She was a sucker for the lace doilies on the tables and all the bright colors that decorated every wall and teapot. So, Katie would be a good girlfriend and put up with it, for her darling.

Lavender’s face brightened considerably at the prospect and she nodded in agreement, clearly eager. Katie waited on her broom, floating in mid-air, watching until the girl had disappeared into the staircase at the back of the tower-like stand, before making her way down to the grass-covered pitch, landing gracefully in the middle. She had only just touched the ground when Lavender came running joyfully from the Gryffindor stand, rushing to meet her.

She had just made her way to Katie before stopping suddenly in her tracks, staggering slightly, eyes going wide and her smile falling. For the past few dates, she had been dragging Katie to her own things, shopping, or hanging out with the girls in her dorm, without allowing the chaser to have much fun of her own. It was one of the reasons she’d decided to stay with her butt frozen to a bench for over an hour, watching her love fly in circles. That and because she particularly adored how cute Katie looked whenever she soared about on her broom. 

Madam Puddifoot’s wasn’t exactly Katie’s favorite place and worry that she was being selfish had begun to creep up her throat. If Lavender forced her to go, maybe she would no longer wish to be around her. This was the first relationship that she’d ever been in and for the last several weeks she was worried she had been doing the entire thing wrong.

With a slight pause, she began, “We don’t have to go to Puddifoot’s if you don’t want to, love,” She offered. “We can stay up in the tower.”

Katie’s brows furrowed, features twisting into a look of confusion at the proposal. Of course, she didn’t want to go to the wretched tea shop, all the pink made her retinas hurt, but it was Lavender’s favorite place in Hogsmeade beside the boutique where she got all of her dresses. It was where she had taken her on their first official date back in September. 

“I don’t mind,” She assured, tilting her head slightly to the side. “We haven’t gone in a while and I heard from Cho that they’ve added new desserts to the menu.”

Lavender bit her lip in hesitation, “Are you sure?”

Katie grinned and walked closer, dropping her broom to the ground and grabbing hold of Lavender by her hips, pulling her into a warm embrace, “Absolutely,”

Lavender could not fight her own grin from growing and she nodded in agreement, moving to wrap her arms around Katie’s neck, “Okay.” 

Slowly, the couple made their way across the pitch, hands intertwined as Lavender told her all about Harry and Luna, who had begun to hang around each other more recently and were supposedly spending the day together. Lavender tended to talk a lot, about many things, and Katie took in every word, watching as her girlfriend ranted about whatever piece of gossip that she seemed to happen across. It seemed to make Lav happy whenever she saw that people were listening to what she said rather than tune it out. 

“Par!” Lavender called, stopping in her tracks right as they’d made it to the entrance hall.

Parvati turned around, a smile on her face that quickly fell when she realized who it was that had called her. Seamus stood beside her, looking confused at the sudden turn before realization adorned his features at the sight of Katie and Lavender standing together, holding hands. Parvati pushed a painful-looking smile onto her face and approached the pair, Seamus following her down the hall. 

“Hello,” She greeted, standing rigidly before them. 

“Where were you two headed?” Lavender asked, eyes shifting between them, filled with questions that Parvati would never answer. 

“Back to the tower,” Seamus explained, standing closer to her best friend than Lavender had ever seen before, causing her interest to peak. 

“Oh,” She gasped in realization, turning to her girlfriend and pulling the broom from her hand. “Would you mind taking Katie’s broom up? We’ve got a date at Madame Puddifoot’s and it’d be nice if she didn’t have to drag it around.”

“Darling, I don’t -” Katie began but was cut off by Parvati’s rushed response. 

“Sure,” She said, voice clipped. “I’ll put it up in our dorm until you two come back.”

Lavender grinned, thanking her friend and handing her the broom. Katie and Seamus exchanged awkward smiles as their companions chatted on. With a quick embrace between dorm mates, Lavender grabbed hold of her girlfriend’s hand and pulled her away, down the hall and toward the exit that would lead them to Hogsmeade.

Seamus and Parvati watched the two make their way out, Parvati’s shoulder sagging the moment they were out of sight and her fist clenching tightly around the handle of the broom. In a fit of empathy for his friend, Seamus threw his arm around Parvati and pulled her close to his chest, watching her drop the broom and bury her face into him as her body began to shake with quiet sobs. 

On the other side of the castle walls, Lavender happily skipped down the cobblestone road which would lead them to the village. Katie swung their still intertwined hands and told her darling all about the plans that her family had made for the break that year. She spoke of the tradition her father always remembered to uphold, gathering around the tree with her younger brother, drinking hot cocoa, and counting down the minutes until it was midnight on December 25th and they were allowed to tear into their presents. 

Lavender followed along with the stories, eyes never wavering from her girl's beautiful face and making sure to give a comforting squeeze to her hand when she mentioned how her father was extra eager for her to come home after she had been cursed earlier that year. 

“My parents were never like that,” Lavender commented when she was sure Katie had finished, she had the nastiest habit of interrupting people. “We have dinner together on Christmas night and then I’m allowed to gather my presents and go up to my room. I always open them alone.”

“Nothing else?” Katie asks, unable to hide the surprise that had crept into her voice.

Lavender shook her head, “Some years we’ll go to the Christmas Eve staff party at the Ministry for dad but I doubt we’ll be doing it this year.”

“Does your mum go?” Katie enquires. 

Lavender always did have a better relationship with her mother rather than her father, seeing as when she was younger her father would be off at work while her mother stayed home to take care of her until she was old enough to go off to school. Now, she stayed home to look over the house. And the yard man who they had hired three summers ago. 

“No,” Lavender sighed, walking through the door to Madame Puddifoot which Katie held open. 

“Sometimes she will but most years she’ll stay home and watch her soap operas.”

They found their way to one of the tables near the back. Lavender squealed when she saw the doilies and flowers put up all pretty in a glass vase on the middle of the spread. Katie rolled her eyes but took her seat anyway, pulling off her jacket and exposing the sweater Lavender had gotten her for her birthday.

They weren’t seated two minutes before a happy, blonde waitress made her way over and grinned at the pair of them.

“Hello,” She greeted. “I am Anna, I’ll be your server.”

“Oh, I love your accent,” Lavender cooed, looking up at the rosy-cheeked beauty. “Where are you from?”

Katie gave a heavy sigh, they would be here forever. It wasn’t that she minded how much Lavender liked to talk, it was helpful considering she preferred to listen, but she was hungry and wanted to spend time with her girlfriend. 

“Switzerland,” Anna replied. “I am here visiting my aunt for the holidays.”

“Who is your aunt?” Lavender asked, drawn into the conversation.

“Madame Puddifoot!” Anna shared before handing them two laminated menus. “You can look over these and I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Thank you,” Katie replied, ready for the server to leave them.

“No problem,” She smiled before pausing and turning to Lavender. “I love your hair.”

Lavender blushed and mumbled a ‘Thank you’ to which the waitress grinned before stepping away and allowing them time to decide what they wanted. Katie cocked an eyebrow at the pink shade that dusted her girl's normally light brown cheeks which only caused the color to darken to a bright red. 

“What?” Lavender asked, lips pulled into a frown. 

“Someone has a cru-shhh.” Katie sang, flipping her menu open to see what new desserts Cho had been mentioning. 

Lavender’s frown deepened and she balled up her napkin, throwing it across the table so that it hit Katie square in the face. The action forced Katie’s jaw to drop and she looked up from the menu so that she was witness to Lavender’s amused grin. Katie picked the napkin from where it had fallen onto the table and tossed it back to Lavender who only grabbed it with a triumphant smile.

“You’re my only crush,” She stated with a firm nod before grabbing her own menu and flipping it open to the salad portion.

“Don’t get a salad,” Katie reminded, not looking up from her menu. “This’ll be our dinner and the salads don’t fill you.”

“How do you know what fills me?” Lavender asks with a frown, closing her menu and slapping it down on the table. 

“Have you decided what you’ll be having?” Ana asks, having arrived at their section and cutting off the conversation.

“Yes,” Katie answered for them both. “I’ll be having an iced tea and tuna sandwich, she’ll be having an Earl Grey and chicken soup.”

Lavender huffed, slinking down into her seat. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Earl Grey and chicken soup, it was her favorite combination. Katie knew as such, despite all of Lav’s disagreement, and she also knew that if she ordered a salad that she wouldn’t get full. But Lavender couldn’t fight the small smile that graced her because Katie knew her. 

“So I’ve got something to ask you,” Katie said, tone serious, once Ana had walked away with their menus.

“I prefer jewelry for a gift but nothing in rose gold,” Lavender replied, nose crinkling. 

“I’ve already gotten you a gift and you’ll love it even if it’s a rose gold brooch.” Katie teased. 

“Oh, Katie no, not a brooch,” Lavender gasped, dramatically, putting a hand to her chest. “It won’t match anything I own.”

Katie rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself, “I was going to ask you if you wanted to spend the holidays with my family and me.”

Lavender’s teasing grin fell and she blinked, “Are you serious?”

Katie nodded, taking a sip of the iced tea that had appeared before her. It was probably one of the things she liked best of the awful little restaurant, that their meals appeared before them magically. Not to mention that the food wasn’t half bad compared to some of the other tea shops in the village. 

“Katie Selena Bell, this better not be a joke,” Lavender frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“Lavender Penelope Brown, this is not a joke,” Katie replied, putting down her cup. “I’ve talked to my dad and he said he would be more than happy to have you.”

Lavender blinked once more, eyes raking over Katie’s face. The straight brown hair, large green eyes, tanned skin, and freckles that decorated the bridge of her nose and dusted the top of her cheeks, the ones that she let Lavender try to count when they laid in bed together. The soft lips that she loved kissing over and over because they felt like two pillows and forced her to experience tingles that rushed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. 

Lavender nodded, sitting up straighter in her chair, “Yes, yes. Um, I would love to.”

Katie grinned, happy at the answer, “Great, you’ll have to get packed soon because the train leaves in two days. But I’ll owl my father and tell him to set out an extra plate.”

Tears of happiness brimmed in Lavender’s eyes as she began to bounce in her seat before stopping abruptly and letting out a horrified gasp.

“What?” Katie asked, smile falling.

“I have to get presents!” Lavender cried. “Something for you father and brother.”

“Oh Lav, you don’t have to-” She was cut off quickly. 

“We have to go now before all the stores close! I need a new dress,” Lavender rushed, ready to stand from her seat. 

“Lavender, sit down,” Katie commanded with a soothing voice. “Let’s finish our dinner and then we can go and stop by a few stores.”

Lavender paused before nodding and settling back into her seat. She seemed a little more relaxed but still didn’t touch her soup even as Katie started on her sandwich. This fact didn’t escape her girlfriend’s notice. 

“Why aren’t you eating?” Katie asked. 

“What if they don’t like me?” Lavender blurted, eyes wide with worry. 

Katie sighed, “They’ll love you as much as I love you and -”

“What?” Lavender asked, sitting forward in her seat.

“What?” Katie frowned. 

Lavender fought back a grin as she replied, “You just said that you loved me.”

Katie’s eyes grew large but she shook her head in denial even as Lavender’s smile grew so wide it threatened to split her entire face in half, “No I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did,” Lavender nodded. “You said that you loved me.”

Katie frowned, “Eat your soup.”

Lavender only giggled, still grabbing her spoon and digging into the chicken soup that had miraculously stayed warm. When they had both settled down and were nearly through with their meals, she reached across the table for Katie’s hand and gave it a slight squeeze, forcing her companion’s attention. Katie glanced up, confusion clouding her eyes, and was met with Lavender’s warm look of content.

“I love you too,” She told her. 

“I know,” Katie replied in a hushed tone.


	37. Marcus Flint x Narcissa Malfoy II; “Kidnapping”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place 13 years after the war.
> 
> It’s not my favorite chapter but I thought it was cute, sorry if it was rushed. More chapters coming soon.

The bright, almost neon, colors on the wall and fluorescent lighting were doing what felt like irreparable damage to his retinas. There was only silence save for the sound of a pen rasping against a clipboard and the ticking of an annoying clock that hung on the wall. It smelled of sanitizer and despair, reminding him of St. Mungo’s. On one side of the long hallway, where he stood, were uncomfortable-looking plastic chairs lined up against the wall, and on the other side, where she was, were doors and doors, each one painted a different color. They were separated by the large mahogany desk, that stretched from wall-to-wall, and probably a few warding spells in case someone were to break in. 

“It seems like everything is in order,” Says the lady behind the desk, looking up from the clipboard he had handed back to her and sharing a warm smile. “I’ll be back with her shortly.”

Marcus only nods, unsure of what to say, and watches as she leaves from her small sanctuary and journeys to the other side of the hall. 

A particularly loud ‘tick!’ from the annoyingly loud clock forced his attention from the woman’s retreating figure and to where it was glued to the wall. It was shaped like a cat and the stomach was the actual clock, showing that it had just turned 12:05. Technically he wasn’t supposed to be here at this time, or at all, but it wasn’t like there was anything else to do today and nobody would figure out what he was doing for a few hours. 

Being a Quidditch player was fun, he loved the sport and the attention, the pay was great and he got plenty of time off when there weren’t games or practice. What sucked was that when there were no games or practice, and Charlie was at work, there wasn’t a lot available for Marcus to entertain himself with. 

The sound of a door creaking open broke his focus and he was forced to look back toward the large desk, whose small swinging door had now been swung open. In front of it was a woman, not the one from before, long dark hair tied up in an intricate knot and a yellow pencil skirt with matching yellow shoes that had small pink pom-poms glued at the toe part. Holding her hand was the whole reason he had come and she was wearing a wide grin on her face.

“Uncle Marcus!” Narcissa cried happily, breaking from the woman and running toward him. 

Marcus barely had enough time to bend down and open his arms when the small girl went barreling into him, her own little arms clutching tightly around his neck and her strawberry blonde hair clouding his vision. He stood quickly, scooping her up as he went and he couldn’t stop his own smile.

“Hey Pippy,” He greeted, pleased that his mission was successful so far. 

“And why, pray tell, are you picking her up so early?” Padma asked, an eyebrow arched in question as she leaned against the desk. 

“I was bored,” Marcus shrugs. “There was nothing to do at the flat and I haven’t gotten to spend time with her since I got back from Singapore. They were at their grandmother's.” 

“Tell me about it,” Padma replies with a huff. “Angelina naps all day like a cat and by the time I get home she’s all energetic and I’m exhausted from work.”

Marcus snorts at the mention of his teammate in such a domestic scenario. They had grown close since she joined Puddlemore United as the first woman on the team and now she could usually be seen spending time with him, Oliver and Adrian as if they were siblings.

“It’ll be like that for a few weeks,” He reminded her. “She’ll go back to normal soon.”

“I’ve been with her for 12 years,” She smiles. “She’s never been normal.”

Marcus smirks back, “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

“I’ll see you on Saturday. Now get out of here before I owl Ginny and tell her you’re kidnapping her daughter,” Padma dismisses him with a wave of her hand, shooing them out the door. 

“Say goodbye to Mrs. Johnson, Pippy,” Marcus tells his niece, right before they step out. 

“Goodbye, Mrs. Johnson!” Narcissa replies, waving her teacher good-bye as she is carried out of the building by her uncle. 

The natural light from the sun is much brighter than the fluorescent lighting from inside and so they are both forced to squint their eyes until their vision readjusts to the outside. When it doesn’t quite burn to blink anymore, Marcus sets Narcissa down onto the ground and straightens out her dress.

“Who dressed you today?” He asks, almost sure he already knows the answer.

“I did,” Narcissa says, proudly. “I picked out the ribbons too. But daddy did my hair.”

Narcissa Andromeda Malfoy, much like her elder siblings, wore her surname very well, the perfect embodiment of what a Malfoy should be. Silky hair, combed perfectly into pigtails that were tied off with pink ribbons that matched her spotless pink dress and expensive-looking sandals. Unlike her siblings, Narcissa was an almost perfect clone of Ginny: pointy nose, tons of freckles, and a mischievous smile. She’d practically stolen her mother’s entire face save for the stormy Grey eyes, which were the only thing she had inherited from Draco other than his last name and perhaps hair texture. 

When she had been born, Marcus had been the first to give her a nickname as he did with all of Draco’s kids. Scorpius was Mini-Malfoy because of how much he resembled his father, Lyra was Little Bird because of how quickly she took to flying, learning to ride a broom almost before she learned to walk and Narcissa was Pippy Jr. - Ginny was Pippy Sr. based on her likeliness to the character, Pippy Longstocking from the Muggle stories Star had told him all about. 

“D’you want to go for ice cream?” Marcus asks, standing up and fighting a smile at how fast Narcissa’s head began to nod. 

“Grab tight,” He instructed, holding out his hand though he was sure that his goddaughter knew what to do by now. 

Still, without complaining, she grabbed a tight hold of his hand and watched with excited eyes as he pulled his wand from his pocket.

“Can I say it?” She begged, looking near ready to explode. Marcus nodded and she grinned before calling out. “Diagon Alley!” 

With a flick of his wand, Marcus repeated the destination inside his head and soon enough they were both forced through the familiar “tube” that pushed them in on one side and shot them out the other. There was a loud popping noise and it took him a moment to regain his breath, but when he was finally able to get his heart rate back to normal he squeezed his hand to make sure that Narcissa was still at his side. When he felt her squeeze back he allowed himself to relax and look down at the small girl who seemed both completely unfazed by the journey and excited for her treat. 

She had begun to pull on his hand, trying to drag him down the street toward Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor with an air of urgency. Deciding to have fun, Marcus stood in place, unmoving, and watched as Narcissa struggled to pull him along, huffing and puffing with effort. When she had finally grown fed up with his games she stopped in her tracks, setting her hands on her hips and glaring up at him.

“Are we getting ice cream or not?” She questioned, sounding peeved. 

Marcus grinned and scooped her up again, just as he had at her daycare and together they began their journey down the street, weaving amongst the crowd and doing their best to not draw attention from other people.

“Why didn’t daddy pick me up today?” Narcissa asks, a quizzical look decorating her face.

When Ginny had first gotten pregnant with Scorpius, both she and Draco talked about what it meant for her career as a chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies. She went on maternity leave to give birth to their son only to fall pregnant again, this time with Lyra who she gave birth to a year later. Ginny quit playing Quidditch after that, professionally at least, and instead got a job working as an editor for The Daily Prophet. 3 years after Lyra, Narcissa was born and Draco decided it was time to finally take over the family business and so he began to work from home which meant he was able to pick Narcissa up from daycare. Each of their children had been sent to daycare up until the age of 6 so they would learn to socialize with other children who were not their cousins and they would then move on to learning the basics of magic at home before they were sent to Hogwarts. 

“I’m kidnapping you,” Marcus jokes, shifting her in his arms so that she is settled on his side. “We’re getting ice cream and then you’re moving in with me and Uncle Charlie.”

Narcissa grins slyly, reminding him even more of Ginny, “Does Uncle Charlie know?” 

“No,” Marcus shakes his head, playing along. “You’ll have to live under the bed whenever he’s home.” 

Her nose wrinkles in distaste, “It’s dirty under there.”

“You’ll just have to live with it I suppose,” He tells her, stopping to set her back down on the ground. 

She cheers when she realizes they’ve reached the ice cream shop, racing inside before he can even grab the door from the stranger who’d been holding it open for them on their way out. Marcus mumbles a thank you before booking inside after his goddaughter so that she doesn’t get lost or into trouble. He finds her over by the ice cream, face pressed against the glass as she stands on the very tips of her toes to look at all the flavors available. 

“Do you know what you want?” He asks, making his way over to her and peering down into the cooler as well for the flavor he wanted. 

“Rainbow,” She tells him, pointing toward the rainbow dyed treat over in the corner of the cooler. 

“Are you sure?” He questions, eyes narrowing at the sigh of the unnatural colors. 

“Yes,” She nods assuringly. “Ly had it last time we came here.”

“How can I help you?” The person behind the counter asks, grinning brightly. 

They must hate their job, Marcus thinks before pointing to the rainbow ice cream.

“Can I get 1 scoop - “

“Two!” Narcissa cuts in, looking up at him with a glare.

“Are you going to eat two scoops?” Marcus asks, staring down at her with a raised eyebrow and she nodded in response. He turns back to the person behind the counter who looks amused, “2 scoops of rainbow in a cup- “

“A cone!” Narcissa argues from her place at his leg, where she had wrapped her arm around to bury her face in the material of his jeans. 

“You’re very demanding today,” He points out, and she only smiles because she knows that he’ll let her get away with anything if she smiles at him.

“Two scoops of the rainbow in a cone,” Marcus tells the worker with a roll of his eyes. “And one scoop of cookies and cream in a cup with a lid.”

Marcus didn’t like ice cream and that was probably why Narcissa had looked up at him with a confused gaze. He smiled down at her, giving no explanation, only grabbing her by her small hand and leading her down the line to where he dropped 12 sickles into the worker’s hand. Seeing her cone in her godfather’s hand, Narcissa reached up with pleading eyes until he finally gave it to her and she went to work on eating her treat. 

“Who is that for?” She asks Marcus when they finally exit the shop, pointing to the bag that swung from his wrist and held the cookies and cream he had gotten. 

“Your Uncle Charlie,” He informs, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her down the street. 

“Does that mean we’re going to your house?” She questions, before pausing to take a lick of the ice cream before it started to melt.

“Once you finish,” He tells her. “You’re not going to be getting ice cream all over my couch.”

“Why weren’t you at Grandma Molly’s last Sunday?” The child asks, looking up at him as they continue their way through the bazaar, trusting him to lead her safely. 

“I was at a game,” Marcus answers, looking down when he feels his hand moving and realizing that Narcissa has begun to skip. 

“Will you be there this Sunday?” 

“Yes,” He responds, stopping to wipe melted ice cream from around her mouth with a napkin from the bag. Draco wouldn’t forgive him if he had his children out looking a mess. 

“Where are we going?” Narcissa smiles. 

Yes, the girl was exactly like her mother. From the freckles to the chattiness, the similarities were blinding. Though Narcissa favored Marcus much more than Ginny did, despite how close the two adults were. 

They continue their way through Diagon Alley, Narcissa informing him of everything he missed while he was away in Singapore for the last game. Apparently, Harry had finally learned that James and Teddy were something of an item, which Marcus already knew about, and had fainted right in the living room. Luna had thrown a glass of water in his face and he woke pretty quickly after that. Marcus snickered at the 5-year-old’s rendition though he had already heard it all from Charlie and Draco. 

“What did James do?” He asks, smirking. 

“He kept banging his head against the table,” Narcissa responds, paying more attention to her, almost done, cone now than to the story. 

“Sounds like James,” Marcus musses, looking down to notice the girl had finished with her ice cream. 

“Can you tell me where we’re going now?” Narcissa asks, staring up at him.

“We’re already here,” He points out, motioning toward the large building. 

Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes had opened several locations since its first unveiling but everyone in the family’s favorite one would always be in Diagon Alley. George still managed this location, his family having moved to the flat which used to belong to Fred, Hermione, and Teddy while Fred managed the one in Hogsmeade, moving into a house with his family not too far from it. The upstairs which used to be the twin’s flat had become a clubhouse for the children. 

Narcissa hadn’t even waited until he had fully opened the front door, rushing in as soon as she saw an entrance. As always, the store was crowded but with almost a practiced stealth, she managed to weave her way through all the people and towards her Uncle George who stood, entertaining a customer. 

“What’re you doing here Pippy?” George asked, looking down to see what exactly it had been that barreled into his legs and realizing it was his niece. 

“Uncle Marcus brought me,” She tells him, grinning as she is lifted into the air and placed right onto the counter. 

“I’ll stop bringing you anywhere if you keep running off like that,” Marcus threatened, making his way toward them and Narcissa had the decency to blush.

“That’s why my children wore leashes,” Millicent says, sliding up next to them and exchanging a hug with Marcus. 

“That’s right,” George replied, smiling fondly at the memory. “Isis had the purple one and Osiris had the yellow one.”

“Are they here?” Narcissa asks excitedly at the mention of her older cousins. 

Millicent shook her head, “Sorry love, Isis is with Victoire, and Osiris is with Georgie and Remus.”

Narcissa frowns, deflating sightly and George scoops her up from the counter quickly before she becomes too sad, “But why don’t you and I walk around and you can pick out something you like?”

The frown is gone then and she agrees, excited again. Without a word the two dip back into the crowd, making their rounds around the store as George shows off all the new inventions for her to choose from. Narcissa loved visiting her uncles, she always came home from something new that her father claimed would, ‘Put him in an early grave’. 

“Does Ginny know you have her?” Millicent asked, raising an eyebrow at Marcus once her husband and niece were out of earshot.

Marcus shakes his head, “No, I picked her up early and saw Padma. Then we went to get ice cream.”

“Are you coming to the Burrow on Sunday?” She questions. 

“Should be,” He answers, taking note of loud popping noise that had come from the other side of the store. “Charlie and I have lunch with Ang and Pad on Saturday.”

“Bring them,” Millicent shrugs. “Take Saturday for yourself. You know Molly doesn’t mind.”

“Uncle Marcus!” Narcissa cries, running toward him and barreling into his leg. “Look at what I’ve got!”

She holds up a green hat, almost too large for her head. To answer the questioning look from her uncle, Narcissa places the hat upon her head and without a trace, her entire head vanishes. Millicent laughs from beside him. 

“Headless Hats,” Millicent explains to the confused man next to her. “Makes your head invisible whenever you put them on.”

Marcus grins wickedly at that, “That’ll give Draco a fright.”

“If she plays it right, he might even pee his pants,” George nods, stepping up next to his still headless niece. 

“I can't wait to show Scorp and Ly,” The girl exclaims, finally pulling the hat off.

“You can show them when you get back,” Marcus tells her. 

“Okay,” She agrees, looking at George and Millicent as she is scooped up into Marcus’s arms. “Bye Aunt Millie, bye Uncle George.”

The couple waves them good-bye, stopping to press kisses to either of Narcissa’s cheeks which make her squeal, before Marcus carries her out of the store after sharing his own good-byes. They are back on the busy street soon enough, now more crowded than it had been before. When returned to the ground, Narcissa is forced to look up at him. 

“Are you ready to go home?” He questions, squinting once again at the brightness of the sun.

“Your home or my home?” She asks, not quite ready to stop having fun with her uncle and go back to the manor. 

“My home,” He tells her, making sure her hands and mouth are clean of leftover ice cream before attempting to apparate.

“Yeah,” She grins, nodding in agreement. 

“Alright,” Marcus replies, holding out his hand to her once more. “Grab tight.”

Narcissa places her small hand in his large one, holding tight enough that her knuckles begin to turn white for good measure, and smiles up at him for assurance. Marcus smiles back before pulling out his wand and the young girl almost can’t wait for what comes next.


End file.
